depth
by clearflight
Summary: ThunderClan's future rests soley on the shoulders of two she-cats, one of which is a kit. Their reproductive future is bleak. ThunderClan will almost surely die out, unless they find more she-cats... fast. And they'll do anything to get what they want.
1. tom

**.Blurb.**

A time of great hardship has fallen upon the lake clans. After the Dark Forest battle, a new sickness rose with symptoms so awful the medicine cats unanimously named it Black_death_. Oddly, the disease's symptoms appear almost exclusively in she-cats, with only the occasional tom suffering alongside the rest. The disease kills within a quarter moon of symptoms surfacing, a fact proven time and time again. Within two months, dozens of cats had fallen. Facing fears of obliteration (more toms were falling ill each day) medicine cats finally found a cure. The lengthy time the cure had taken had a dire cost: each clan retained only a handful of she-cats. RiverClan, where a vital herb included in the cure grew, was the clan with the least casualties of either gender. The rest weren't so lucky.

ThunderClan's future rests soley on the shoulders of two she-cats, one of which is a kit. Their reproductive future is bleak. ThunderClan will almost surely die out, unless they find more she-cats... fast.

And they'll do anything to get what they want.

**.Allegiances.**

**THUNDERCLAN**

**Leader:** Bramblestar-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy:** Lionblaze-golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Jayfeather-gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

**Apprentice:** Seedfall – very pale ginger she-cat with dark green eyes

**Warriors:**

Cloudtail-long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Thornclaw-golden brown tabby tom

Spiderleg-long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Berrynose-cream-colored tom

Mousewhisker-gray-and-white tom

Foxleap- ginger tom with amber eyes

Toadstep-black-and-white tom

Molenose- brown-and-cream tom with amber eyes and a long tail

Dewclaw - dark gray tom with amber eyes

Snowpelt - white tom with amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Seedfall (medicine cat apprentice): very pale ginger she-cat with dark green eyes

Lightpaw (apprentice to Lionblaze): golden tom with blue eyes

**Queens (and kits):**

Rosepetal (expecting Foxleap's kits, already had Berrynose's kits: Maplekit, a cream and brown tabby she-cat, and Grasskit, a cream tom) a dark cream she-cat

**Elders:**

Graystripe-long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt-dark brown tabby tom

* * *

**SHADOWCLAN**

**Leader:** Rowanstar- red-brown powerful tom with green eyes

**Deputy:** Crowfrost-black-and-white tom

**Medicine Cat:** Fallowstripe - white tom with a thick black stripe on one side of his face and amber eyes

**Warriors:**

Ratscar-brown tom with long scar across his back

Owlclaw-light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot-gray she-cat with black feet

Kinkfur-tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Scorchfur-dark gray tom

Redwillow-mottled brown-and-ginger tom

Tigerheart-dark brown tabby tom

Ferretclaw-cream-and-gray tom

Starlingwing-ginger tom

Sparrowflight- tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Dawnpelt - a cream furred she-cat

**Apprentices-**

Fogpaw - a cream-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Lionpaw - a brown tabby tom with blue eyes

Runningpaw - a black and white tom

**Queens:**

Ivytail-black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat (nursing Tigerheart's kits: Yellowkit, a yellow-tinged white tom with blue eyes and Bluekit, a blue-gray tom with amber eyes)

**Elders:**

Oakfur-small brown tom

* * *

**WINDCLAN**

**Leader:** Ashstar- gray she-cat

**Deputy:** Crowfeather- older dark gray tom

**Medicine Cat:** Kestrelflight-mottled gray tom

**Warriors:**

Gorsetail-very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur-ginger tom with white paws

Harespring-brown-and-white tom

Leaftail-dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Emberfoot-gray tom with two dark paws

Heathertail-light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Whiskerpelt-light brown tom

Boulderfur-large pale gray tom

**Apprentices:**

Gustpaw (apprentice to boulderfur) - a light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Swiftpaw (apprentice to Crowfeather) - a tan and brown she-cat with amber eyes

Larkpaw (med cat apprentice) - silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Queens:**

Sunstrike-tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead (mother to emberfoot's kits: brightkit, a white she-kit and dark-kit, a brown tabby tom)

**Elders:**

* * *

**RIVERCLAN**

**Leader:** Mistystar-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy:** Reedwhisker-black tom

**Medicine Cat:** Willowshine (gray tabby she-cat)

**Warriors:**

Pebblefoot-mottled gray tom

Mallownose-light brown tabby tom

Robinwing-tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Beetlewhisker-brown-and-white tabby tom

Grasspelt-light brown tom

Mosspelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Pouncetail-ginger-and-white tom

Hollowreed- dark brown tabby tom

Rushstone- light brown tabby tom

**Apprentices:**

Honeypaw (apprentice to Mosspelt)- brown tabby she-cat with eyes the color of honey

Leafpaw (apprentice to Mistystar)- very small white she-cat with long fur that kinks unpredictably (green eyes)

Badgerpaw (apprentice to Beetlewhisker)- brown and cream striped she-cat

Berrypaw (apprentice to troutleap)- ginger and white tom with amber eyes

**Queens (and kits):**

Mossyrocks- brown and white she-cat with long fur (expecting Robinwing's kits)

Icewing - white she-cat (expecting Reedwhisker's kits)

**Elders**

* * *

**These allegiances roughly follow those of The Last Hope_. _Some apprentices you may not recognize.**

**_Among the dead: _**

_**Squirrelflight, Brightheart, Birchpelt, Leafpool, Whitewing, Icecloud, Hazeltail, Dovewing, Ivypool, Daisy, Cherryfur, Lilypaw, Amberpaw, Bumblestripe, Blossomfall, Briarlight, Cinderheart (after having Lightpaw), Sandstorm, Brackenfur, ****Tawnypelt, Olivenose, Littlecloud, Pinenose, Blackstar, Applefur, Flamekit (one of Dawnpelt's kits, a she-kit), ****Onestar, Whitetail, Nightcloud, Sedgewhisker, Swallowtail, Furzejump, ****Icewing, Troutleap, Petalfur, Dapplenose, Graymist, Minnowtail, Mothwing**_


	2. tails

ThunderClan camp was quieter these days.

Part of the silence could be attributed to the season: Greenleaf was coming to a close and most cats wished to enjoy the heat as much as they could before it disappeared for a good five moons. In the blissful silence, one could hear grass whistling at the top of the hollow.

Lightpaw's golden rump stuck out of the nursery as he dragged clumps of hardly-dirtied moss out of the den. It was a daily job, nowadays. ThunderClan couldn't afford to take any chances with the nursery. It was their future-it held their livelihood in its grasp.

Bramblestar sat on the high-ledge. He lifted one brown-tabby paw pensively, and set it down. There was hardly any point in grooming his ears, the humid air would matt them down by sunset no matter what he did. As he loomed over the camp, he spotted Spiderleg, Thornclaw and Dewclaw enjoying their evening meal on the boulders near the back of the hollow. Each had at least two pieces of prey beside them: prey was plentiful when the Clan was small.

A rustle from the nearby Medicine den caused the trio to raise their heads. Seedfall, Jayfeather's apprentice exited bearing a mouthful of herbs. The toms' eyes didn't waver from her lithe ginger shape as she stepped across the hollow. Bramblestar couldn't blame them; his amber eyes followed the young she-cat too.

Seedfall was one precious commodity they couldn't use. As a medicine cat, her code explicitly stated that she could not take a mate or have kits. Every tom in the clan, Bramblestar included, knew that unless times changed drastically, her code would have to be broken.

Every clan was knocked hard by blackdeath, but ThunderClan seemed to have been hit the hardest. Granted, it had also been the largest clan prior to the outbreak; but it had still lost nineteen cats. Compared to ShadowClan's reported seven, Windclan's six, and RiverClan's seven; it had been an epidemic. None of the four clans discussed the more pressing matter of she-cats (namely the lack of them), but it was clear that the other clans were in better shape gender-wise.

Surely no other clan was so hard-pressed for kits that their single queen was pregnant with her second litter when her first was only five moons old. ThunderClan was lucky; one of Rosepetal's kits had turned out to be a she-kit. However, it would be at least three moons before Maplekit would be able to bear kits physically, and probably another moon or two before she was truly ready.

_We might not be able to wait for her to be ready. _The thought brought a sickening darkness to Bramblestar's thoughts. Was this all ThunderClan could do? Hope against hope that more she-cats were born, and then expect them to bear kits the very day their bodies were able to handle it?

As Seedfall crossed the hollow, headed back to the Medicine Cat den, Bramblestar watched grimly as Thornclaw's amber eyes tracked her attentively. The Clan had become completely composed of hormonal toms, ones that would fight at the drop of a leaf. Although prey was plentiful and no Clans pressed on their borders for the time being, life was stressful. It was almost like the toms needed a battle, or at least a small problem, to get their thoughts off of she-cats.

Almost all of the toms were antagonistic towards each other. Half were jockeying to be the father of Rosepetal's third litter, while the other half was calling dibs on Seedfall when she finally was forced to kit for her Clan. A few of the younger toms had their eyes on Maplekit, an act that made Bramblestar shudder.

"It's getting to the point where we might need to post a guard for her." Bramblestar turned. Lionblaze stood beside him, his amber eyes narrow.

"And who would be suitable for that?" Bramblestar sighed, sinking his long claws into the rock below him. "They're all after her anyway."

"Good point." Lionblaze's mew was wry as he settled down next to his leader, his golden fur brushing against brown.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, watching a hunting patrol returned laden with prey. Jayfeather trotted in a few moments after, his jaws full of reddish-brown cobnuts. Sensing their presence, the gray tabby tom turned his sightless blue eyes on the High Ledge, before turning away.

"We need to do something." Bramblestar murmured. The very same thought had popped into his head several times in the past quarter moon, but this was the first time he had spoken it out-loud. His tail waved absent-mindedly as he waited for his deputy to respond.

"I was wondering when you would say that." Lionblaze's voice was tinged with a note of sorrow. "ThunderClan isn't going to survive long without she-cats. I heard Thornclaw today saying that we could kidnap one of RiverClan's apprentices. The she-cats would be horrified at the very thought."

Bramblestar recalled that Cinderheart, Lionblaze's mate had been within the last few to go_. Just like Squirrelflight_, the leader thought bitterly. He had never quite gotten a chance to say goodbye to the ginger she-cat, hers had been a quick death.

"Do you miss her?"

"Cinderheart? Of course."

"You were a lucky one." Bramblestar muttered, thinking of Lightpaw. If Lionblaze had heard him, the golden tom gave no sign of it.

Bramblestar sighed, reshuffling his thoughts and fidgeting with his paws.

"Call the senior warriors… no, great Starclan call _every_ warrior to a meeting in my den. We've waited far too long."

Lionblaze nodded his wide head, rising to his paws.

"ThunderClan will not die." He mewed, his amber eyes darkening. "If we die, our memories of them die with us."

His ominous mew left Bramblestar's ears ringing. The thought that his fallen clan mates were watching over him suddenly made him apprehensive for what he was about to say.

ThunderClan _had_ to survive, one way or another. There was no other solution.

And if they stepped on a few tails, dead or not, along the way; so be it.

* * *

**A bit of an odd prologue, but so be it. I was playing with a new style of POV. **

**I really like the last line, it's one of the first I came up with when I thought of this story idea. **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!**

**cf**


	3. family

**Thank you, Reviewers!**

**Moonofbetrayal - I'm glad you like it!**

**XEagleheartX - I hadn't actually thought of that... that sounds brilliant!**

**Opaltongue (guest) - Yes, that was a bit of a mistake. I was debating between Seedfur and Seedfall, apparently I couldn't choose, could I? **

**ilovetheclique2 - I'm glad you enjoyed it. **

* * *

"It's getting late." At the sound of the cat's words, the starling let out an alarm and flapped its wings in an attempt to get away.

The hunter, a small tortoiseshell, yowled in frustration. Using her powerful hind-legs she struck out with claws unsheathed in a feeble attempt to catch the bird. A claw found purchase, ripping out a clump of flesh from the bird's wing. But the prey had been too far away from her claws, so the starling was able to flutter up to the tree. Half of it's wing hung from the hunter's claws.

"I would have caught it if you hadn't shown up! It was perfectly good prey!" The tortoiseshell's words were lost on the interrupter as she stared up at the bird in the tree.

"Look at that. It'll die in a day without it's wing, and then it'll rot. Pity." The wildly-patterned she-cat spoke evenly, watching the blue speckled bird continue to squawk in alarm. "Come now, Hawk. It's getting late, time to go home."

"Splash!" Hawk whined, kneading her blue-cream paws into the peat floor of the forest. "I had that starling, I did!"

"Maybe, your crouch was a bit low, and regardless, we didn't need that prey. Come now, your sisters are waiting."

With a sigh, Hawk padded after her mother. Their late afternoon shadows blended together as they walked, and Hawk was reminded how alike she and her mother were. They both had the same powerful compact shoulders and short tails encased by thick mottled fur. Their eyes were the only difference: Splash had orbs of crystalline blue, while Hawk retained her father's sharp yellow eyes.

As she bounded along the forest, Hawk glanced at all of the sights around her. Through a thin band of trees she caught glimpses of the thick navy river that wound around her family's home. Underneath her paws, leaves crunched, sending prey that she itched to catch skyward. Together the two she-cats leaped two streams easily, following the last upstream to a small thicket of ferns.

Hawk pushed through the leaves, following Splash's tail. After a few fox-lengths, the passageway opened up into a clearing about half a tree length wide. This was home. This was camp. Five cats sat waiting for Hawk and Splash.

"No prey?" The largest brown and cream tabby asked. His voice wasn't disappointed: his yellow eyes showed only simple curiosity.

"More of a practice run, Hershey." Hawk's mother answered her mate, licking his ear briefly. Hawk turned away from the couple and stepped over to her sisters.

"Catch anything?" Swan, Hawk's amber-eyed black-dappled white sister mewed, looking up from washing her chest.

"I would guess no, seeing she's not carrying anything."

"Aw, shut up Rabbit." Hawk snapped. "I was stalking a starling for a while."

"Starlings are hard." Duck, another sister offered whilst picking a small piece of bracken from between her toes. "I managed to get a rabbit, but I was lucky. And a couple mice, but those are easy." The white long-furred she-cat frowned as she spotted a clump of matted fur on the back of her forepaw. Duck was the vainest of them all, without question. Personally, Hawk thought their parents' house-cat roots showed the most in Duck's long soft white fur and clear, innocent bright blue eyes.

Hawk flicked her ear in annoyance. She wasn't stellar at hunting, and she certainly was not the first to admit it.

"Dad showed me a new trick for fishing!" Rabbit mewed excitedly. "I caught an enormous fish on my second try!"

"I just want to know when training will be over." Deer, Hawk's fourth and gentlest sister spoke, yawning. Her creamy brown tabby fur was ruffled and speckled with leaf bits, evidence of a fighting lesson. "We're well over twelve moons now. I know we've all got things to work on, but I want to be able to do my own thing."

"It'll be over soon enough." Hawk murmured. Their family was different than other rogues- they had stuck together thus far, and their parents had put them through rigorous training. Splash had been born as a house-cat, but she had been raised from moon one as a rogue. She grew up with the tricks that were essential for living as a rogue. Hershey had been a kitty-pet when Splash met him, but he had been a fast learner in the ways of a rogue.

It was a known fact that sooner or later, their parents would be finished with training. It could be any day now, truthfully. Splash and Hershey had never spoken of forcing their daughters to leave the family when they came of age, but Hawk knew she wanted more than this boring life by the river. What, exactly she wanted, she wasn't sure of.

She knew that she wanted to interact with more cats than just her kin: the last cat she had met had been a ragged tom just passing through. During their brief conversation, the tom had spoken briefly of a group of cats that lived by a lake. Even though he had spoken in a scoffing, silly tone- Hawk had been intrigued. Maybe one day she would go to find these cats.

Privately, she thought that Rabbit was the most likely to stay with their parents: the black-and-white she-cat was skilled, but skittish and a prime example of a home-body. Duck would probably do the same, or return to her house-cat ancestry. Swan, Hawk thought she might just be able to convince to come with her to find the clans.

Deer was a bit of a challenge to predict; the tabby was incalculable. On some subjects she was easily persuadable, but on others she had a firm opinion that she hardly would change for the world.

Only one thing was certain. Hawk wanted to see more of the world.

And she wanted to do it as quickly as she could.

* * *

**We'll head back to ThunderClan next chapter, do you like these new characters? I loved the name Hershey, I thought it was perfect for a brown tabby kitty-pet-turned-rogue. **

**Q for reviewers: Which sister do you like the best so far? Rabbit, Hawk, Swan, Duck or Deer?**

**cf**


	4. meeting

Lionblaze watched with narrowed amber eyes as Toadstep shouldered his way past the lichen into Bramblestar's den. After the black and white tom settled down, he nodded at Bramblestar that everyone was there.

All together, there were fifteen cats in the den. Bramblestar had decided not to invite Seedfall or the queen and kits to the meeting, with due right. They were discussing how to get more she-cats, and everyone knew that the toms would immediately turn to Maplekit and/or Seedfall for a solution. In addition, Lionblaze had sent Lightpaw out on a mission to find several mice for Jayfeather's bile store. His young ears had no need to hear what was going to be discussed.

"As you can see, I've called the Clan together for a meeting." Bramblestar's voice was tired. "You may have noticed we have a bit of a problem."

The toms were silent. A few flicked their ears, as if to say "we know".

"There has to be a solution, and I've decided the only reasonable one is to bring in she-cats from outside of the clan."

"Not again." Spiderleg murmured, shuffling his brown paws in the sandy floor of the den. "Look what happened with Daisy!"

"What?" Jayfeather fixed his sightless blue eyes on the mottled tom. "Was it her fault that you decided to mate with her? I'd think you'd be proud, as your daughter happens to be the only cat in this clan capable of kitting right now! Our future rests on her shoulders."

Without pause, Thornclaw leapt into the conversation. "She isn't the only capable one."

Bramblestar's firm mew cut through the ensuing whispers "No, we will not be asking Seedfall to kit for ThunderClan. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat, and we will respect her choice."

"Even if she was to kit in the next few moons, it wouldn't be enough." Dewclaw, a gray tom with amber eyes, spoke up. "I agree with Bramblestar."

Snowpelt nodded along with his brother. A few other toms mewed their agreement.

"I need a group of four or five warriors to recruit at least four she-cats. They must be capable of kitting, and must willingly come to ThunderClan. I have no interest in keeping a slave." Bramblestar's amber gaze fell on Thornclaw. Lionblaze could guess that he was thinking about the golden-brown tom's plot to capture a RiverClan apprentice.

"I'll go!" Foxleap offered immediately, springing to his ginger paws. "It sounds fun!"

"I have to remind you all that this will be a dangerous task. It will have to be quick, as I cannot afford for half of my warriors to be gone for more than a moon. Most likely, you will have to travel as far or further than the old territory, for those of you that remember it." Bramblestar took a deep breath, scanning the group of silent toms in front of him.

"Bramblestar, are you sure this is needed?" Graystripe, one of the two elders, mewed. "Won't the clans be a bit suspicious when we suddenly have four more she-cats?"

"They will, Graystripe, but what other choice do we have?" The dark tabby leader breathed.

"If we keep them here long enough, maybe we act as though we've had them since kits, and then introduce them at a gathering?"

"We'll figure that out when the time comes. Now, please let me stress that the toms that go must do anything and everything possible to convince the she-cats you find to come with you. This mission is essential to ThunderClan's survival."

Silence filled the den as the warriors considered their options. Lionblaze watched them with cool disinterest. If he had been able to go (as a deputy, he was required to stay with his clan) he would have been like Foxleap, jumping at first opportunity.

After a few moments, Brambleclaw raised himself to his feet and opened his jaws to speak again.

"May I remind all of the toms that those who go will have a likely shot at fathering the new she-cat's first kits?" The leader let his words sink in for a moment.

"Now, Foxleap, would you still like to go?"

"Absolutely, Bramblestar." The ginger tom's voice was slightly somber, but Lionblaze heard evidence of excitement buried underneath the seriousness. He bounced to his feet and walked to Bramblestar's side.

More cats wanted to go now, Lionblaze could tell. Cloudtail's blue eyes looked intrigued, while Thornclaw was lashing his tail back and forth. Berrynose was trying to stay civilized, but there was a hungry gleam in his eyes. Bramblestar saw this as well, and his amber eyes swept over the toms. His gaze skipped over the newer warriors: Molenose, Dewclaw & Snowpelt, a decision Lionblaze expected.

_Warriors chosen for this mission needed to be older, with a good head on their shoulders. _

"Thornclaw?" Bramblestar asked. He must have known it would be a rhetorical question. The brown tom paraded over to where Foxleap stood. His tail was still lashing.

_Or maybe they just need to be older_-Lionblaze edited his former thought.

"Cloudtail?" Lionblaze nodded at the choice. It was one he would have made also. Who would Bramblestar choose to finish the patrol? Spiderleg? Toadstep?

The senior white warrior nodded, rising to his feet. He was just settling down next to Thornclaw when Bramblestar called the next name.

"Berrynose?" The cream tom looked up, surprised.

Now, that was not a choice Lionblaze would have made. The golden tom furrowed his forehead as the Berrynose joined the three other toms. Maybe it was a smart move. Perhaps Bramblestar thought the cream tom would learn something on the journey.

It had come down to the last tom. Trying to put himself in Bramblestar's place, Lionblaze thought about who he would choose. Spiderleg would be a logical choice, he was the only senior warrior left. However, his outburst may have put him at odds. Perhaps Lionblaze had misjudged Bramblestar's visual evaluation, he could choose a younger tom. Or...

"Mousewhisker." Bramblestar finally said, a note of finality in his voice. Mousewhisker, with a indistinguishable expression in his eyes, nodded and joined the group. Lionblaze nodded minutely when Bramblestar shot him a questioning look. The golden tom agreed with his choices.

"Very well." no longer did Bramblestar sound tired. He sounded relieved. "You leave at sunset, eat and rest beforehand."

"After you've eaten, come and get traveling herbs from me." Jayfeather spoke up.

Lionblaze stood up to leave, letting Mousewhisker pass by. The gray-and-white tom still held the same expression.

Apprehension.

* * *

**New chapter! Okay, exciting news: you, yes you get a chance to submit one (1) OC! They will be in Rosepetal's second litter. The sire is Foxleap. The litter size will depend on how many OCs I receive. Toms are appreciated. **

**Until next, **

**cf**


	5. kitting

"Seedfall, I think I may have dropped a share of sorrel on my way over." Jayfeather lifted his gray tabby head and focused on the ginger she-cat. His paws didn't stop moving, sorting out the leaves in front of him into five neat piles. "Can you get it? While you're there, can you check for ragwort? If it's there, bring some to Rosepetal."

Seedfall nodded, all to happy to get away from the group of toms in front of Jayfeather. In the news of the new plan, their stares and comments had died down a little, for which she was thankful. Why couldn't toms get it through their thick skulls that a medicine cat's oath was sacred? She had heard some speculating that there was nothing in the code about taking a break to kit, but Seedfall would argue that there was nothing in the code that mentioned a medicine cat could return to her practice after kitting.

_No matter how much you twist their words, StarClan is always watching. _

Seedfall let her ginger paws carry her across the hollow as she ducked into the crack that served as a medicine cat den. The cave was lit only by a single crack in the roof that let in the mid-afternoon sun. Along the right side of the den four moss nests stood waiting for patients. Thankfully, none were occupied.

The bunch of sorrel was half-buried in the sand to the left of the herb store. It was little dusty but otherwise okay. Seedfall picked it up, shook off the sand, and continued into the store for ragwort. Her nose led her to the third rock shelf, rewarding her with a pile of dried green leaves and yellow flowers. Snagging a couple of flowers in her claws, Seedfall placed them on a dock leaf and tucked the parcel under her chin.

She dropped the sorrel off with Jayfeather with a nod, and then headed over to the nursery. She passed Foxleap on her way in; the ginger tom gave her a nod.

_It must be odd for him,_ Seedfall realized. _Rosepetal's so close to kitting, and he won't get to see his kits for a moon, granted he comes back._

Seedfall shook her head. She clearly had bees in her brain. Of course the toms would come back. If they didn't… she cut herself off there.

As the apprentice stepped into the dim nursery, she tripped over something small and fluffy.

"Sorry!" came a squeak, as a flash of tortoiseshell fur wiggled out from underneath her. "Thought you were Grasskit!"

"It's alright, Maplekit." Seedfall purred around the ragwort. She straightened out her legs and got to her paws. "Cats mistake me for Grasskit all the time."

Maplekit cocked her head, missing the sarcasm. Giving up, she shrugged, and trotted back further into the nursery. Seedfall followed her straight to Rosepetal.

"Hello, Seedfall." Rosepetal mewed, her blue eyes bright.

"Rosepetal." Seedfall nodded, unfurling the dock leaf and offering the expecting queen the ragwort flowers. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted." The lithe dark cream she-cat lapped up the flowers obediently. "But I assume that's expected?"

"Somewhat. Before your next litter gets this close to the ending stage, I'd like you to exercise more." Seedfall nosed Rosepetal's belly, checking for hard lumps or other anomalies. "It's better for the kitting if you retain your strength."

"If there'll be another litter." The queen cracked darkly. Seedfall didn't bother replying. It was a moot point. Rosepetal was the only queen left, so of course she would have to kit a third litter. Almost certainly a fourth as well. Plausibly a fifth. And if the mission went awry, she might have to continue past that.

"Well, you're getting close-" Seedfall stopped speaking as the rustling from the nursery entrance announced another visitor. "Jayfeather?"

"I finished up with the traveling herbs and thought I'd check on Rosepetal. Looks like we're two of a kind." The gruff tom mewed, his voice wry. Seedfall stepped back from Rosepetal, letting Jayfeather see her distended belly. He moved his paws along the belly for a moment or two, and then dropped his ear to her stomach.

"I feel four or five heart-beats." Jayfeather mewed to Rosepetal, and then turned to Seedfall with a worried look on his face. Seedfall nodded, she thought Seedfall's belly was too large for only four kits as well. Five, maybe, if they were big kits, but most likely Rosepetal would be delivering a few still-borns. The thought made Seedfall's belly drop. She hated the thought of stillborn kits, but they were a given of Clan life.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Seedfall asked, trying to redirect her thoughts. Maybe Foxleap had given her a few ideas while he was saying goodbye.

"No, Foxleap and I decided that it would be best for me to name them in the moment."

"Momma says we get to name the second one!" Maplekit popped up from behind the cream queen, with her brother, Grasskit. "We're going to think of the best name!"

"I'm sure you will." Seedfall purred. Jayfeather forged on, not paying attention to the kits.

"You seem all set, Rosepetal. Make sure to yowl when you think the kits are coming, it shouldn't be long." Rosepetal nodded at Jayfeather's words. The medicine cat turned next to Seedfall.

"It's nearing sunset. It'll be best if we're there to send them off."

Seedfall's ear twitched, but she obediently followed her blind mentor out of the nursery and out into the clearing. The farewells were already in full swing, every cat wishing the five toms well. Seedfall stayed on the edges, congratulating only Cloudtail, Mousewhisker and Foxleap. At one point, Thornclaw locked his green eyes onto her own, but he only gave her a blank stare before breaking the eye contact.

_Good, maybe these new she-cats will redirect his attention away from medicine cats;_ Seedfall thought, her heart rapping.

Finally, it was time for them to go. Thornclaw led the patrol out of the hollow, while Cloudtail brought up the back. As soon as the toms were gone, things died down in the hollow. Seedfall headed to the fresh-kill pile, selecting a small but plump rabbit. She dragged it over to the medicine cat den, and quickly ate.

That was how it was in the Clan when you were one of the only she-cats. You didn't have many friends. The toms banded together, and it was awkward as a single she-cat to join in on their conversation. It worked better if you had a buffer, another she-cat, but the only other she-cats in ThunderClan lived almost exclusively in the nursery. Lightpaw, the Clan's only apprentice was alright, but he was always busy with his duties and training with his father.

Sighing, Seedfall buried the Rabbit's remains and headed towards the medicine cat den, finding Jayfeather already asleep, his tail twitching as it rested over his nose. It seemed as though she had just closed her eyes when an agonized moan rang in her ears.

She leaped to her feet, just as Jayfeather was opening his eyes. Seedfall opened her mouth to inform him of her thoughts, but she was interrupted by a panting cream ball of fur skidding into the nursery.

"Rosepetal's kitting! She sent me to tell you!" Grasskit's amber eyes were exhilarated as he turned tail and sprinted out of the den again.

"Go." Jayfeather mewed. "I'll be there in a second with herbs, go and get her a stick and bring water."

Seedfall nodded, dashing to the pool and dipping a piece of moss into water. There happened to be a nice, strong stick just outside of the nursery, so she scooped it up and high-tailed it to the nursery, pushing aside warriors woken by the noise.

"Seedfall." Rosepetal gasped as the ginger cat entered.

"Drink." Seedfall pushed the moss towards the cream she-cat, watching as she reluctantly lapped up a few mouthfuls. "Are you okay with Maplekit and Grasskit being here?"

"We're not leaving!" Maplekit squeaked from beside her, Grasskit nodding along. "We have to see the second kit so we can name it!"

Thinking of Jayfeather's concern before, Seedfall's throat squeezed. What if the second kit was still-born? It would tear the kits up.

_We'll cross that bridge when we come to it._

Rosepetal yowled as her flank waved, evidence of one of her first contractions.

"Here." Seedfall pushed the stick into Rosepetal's jaws. The she-cat knew what to do.

As the second contraction hit, Jayfeather pushed his way into the nursery, dropping several stacks of herbs. His gray tabby paws worked fast as he separated a batch of herbs from the rest. He gestured for Seedfall to chew them into a pulp.

Seedfall immediately picked up the herbs and voraciously chewed them. As she worked, she was aware of two pairs of eyes watching her attentively. The kits were fascinated.

Dipping her head, Seedfall placed the chewed-up herbs on a dock leaf. Balancing it on one paw, she lifted it to Rosepetal's mouth and squeezed out the juice, following it up with the water-soaked moss.

After a few moments, the third contraction hit and Rosepetal's jaws tightened on the stick. As the pain waved past her haunches, a small sack plopped out onto the moss nest. Jayfeather immediately nipped the sack and pushed it to Seedfall to lick. The ginger she-cat began to lick the small kit's ginger fur backwards, getting rougher and rougher as the kit refused to respond.

Panicked, Seedfall turned away from the kits so they couldn't see, worried that it was a stillborn. After a moment, the tom-kit let out a small squeak, but then fell silent. After a series of continued frantic licking, Jayfeather pawed the kit away from Seedfall's tongue.

"He's dead." The tom whispered, picking up the small corpse and dropping it to the left of Rosepetal. "I'm sorry, Rosepetal."

The cream cat nodded, sadness showing in her eyes for a mere heart-beat before the pain took over again. The second kit was born faster than the first, sliding out easily. Thankfully, this kit, ginger like the first, was responsive from the first lick.

It was a large ginger tom, with wobbly legs and a long tail. As Seedfall nosed him over to his mothers belly, the kit flopped on his back and wiggled about before finally figuring out how to crawl towards Rosepetal's milk.

"Tumblekit!" Grasskit and Maplekit squeaked, startling Seedfall. She had almost forgotten they were there. Tumblekit was a suiting name for the clumsy kit.

They didn't have to wait long for the third, fourth and fifth kit, born in rapid succession. The third was a short-furred gray tabby she-cat, while the forth was a loud tortoiseshell she-cat. The fifth kit was mostly creamy-white, but she had ginger smudges on her muzzle, her paws and her tail.

To Seedfall's dismay, the fifth kit had been born still: no amount of licking could convince the kit to suckle.

"How many more?" Rosepetal gasped.

"One." Jayfeather answered with absolute certainty. A moment later, Rosepetal's stick splintered in two as the last kit was born.

The sixth kit was a black tom with cream markings on his paws and chest. He had been strong from the start, pushing the gray she-kit out-of-the-way to feed. After every kit was safely suckling away, Jayfeather gave Rosepetal a bit of borage to help her milk come.

Rosepetal sighed, resting against the nest as her litter of four suckled away at her belly. Seedfall watched, feeling somewhat responsible for the successful birth of four out of six kits. Her green eyes flickered to the ginger tom and the cream she-cat lying behind Rosepetal and her mood dropped.

"Rosepetal?" She mewed softly. "Would you like to name them for StarClan?" The dark cream she-cat nodded.

"Firekit." She said decisively. "After the great Firestar. The she-cat will be Thunderkit, after the founder of her Clan."

"Those are wonderful names." Seedfall murmured. Rosepetal continued on, lifting her tail and pointing to her kits.

"This one is Tumblekit, right?" She directed the question at Maplekit and Grasskit. They nodded. "The black tom will be Thistlekit-" Rosepetal glanced around the nursery for ideas. "and the gray she-cat is Stonekit. And finally, the tortie will be Daisykit."

* * *

**I felt bad about not using any of the submissions, so I tried to use all the serious ones in any way I could. I apologize to ilovetheclique2 and guest for Thunderkit (Gingerkit) and Firekit's fate. I know feral cats' litter sizes are large, but Rosepetal is young and she's turning around litters at a fast rate. There are bound to be fatalities. Don't assume precious little Daisykit, Stonekit (I apologize for GBing her), Tumblekit and Thistlekit are safe just yet. **

_**Here's a quick guide (Rosepetal's second litter): **_

_**Daisykit - cream, brown and white she-kit **_

_**Thistlekit - black tom with cream paws and cream splash on his chest**_

_**Tumblekit - clumsy over-sized ginger tom**_

_**Stonekit - gray tabby she-cat**_

**Note: two important Clan events are coming up, and will most likely occur in the month-or-so that the patrol is gone. One is Maplekit and Grasskit's apprentice ceremony (mentor ideas? Lionblaze is training Lightpaw at the moment, but everyone else is open), and the other is Lightpaw's warrior ceremony. **

**Thanks for the reviews! I will reply next chapter, most likely. **

**cf**


	6. bound

**Review Replies!**

**Lavi0123 - I guess I should have said those that were alive. Don't worry, Firekit and Thunderkit are safe with StarClan**

**Angel - I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yes, little Tumblekit is adorable already, isn't he? I do hope nothing bad happens to him...**

**Momo - That's a good idea!**

**Icefeather - Sadly, Mousewhisker is on the trip to find more she-cats! He would be a good mentor, though. **

**EMJ - I'm glad you aren't upset :) **

**Mossytail - You're way ahead of yourself! I do like the names Honeygaze, Swiftdash and Berryshade. **

**firekit's creater/reviewhog - ...**

**Lionblaze lover - Don't worry! I didn't suspect you. I'm not sure if I can use Firekit again, though. I don't want readers to get too confused. **

* * *

"Foxleap, where in StarClan do you think you're going?" At Thornclaw's rumbling tone, Foxleap paused, one ginger paw in the water as he prepared to cross the stream.

"I thought we agreed to head towards the mountains." Foxleap said, utterly confused. "How else would we go?"

"Not that way we're not." Cloudtail spoke lazily, watching the exchange with interest. "Can you imagine if WindClan scented a five-cat patrol on their land, let alone met one? We look like a raiding patrol if I've ever seen one! Plus, they know ThunderClan is weak. If they scent half of it's clan leaving, they might consider it a perfect time to enlarge their territory."

Foxleap nodded, stepping back from the stream. The white warrior's words made perfect sense. He didn't want WindClan sniffing around ThunderClan territory, especially when Rosepetal was so close to kitting.

"We'll head up until WindClan's top borders, and then head towards the mountains." A fourth member of the traveling group said proudly. Foxleap was suddenly overwhelmed with a desperate urge to bowl Berrynose over and push him into the stream. The arrogant warrior had fallen in step with the senior warriors right off the bat, leaving Mousewhisker (his brother) and Foxleap to bring up the rear.

_Stupid git._

Some animosity was bound to happen between Berrynose and Foxleap on this trip. They both had mated with Rosepetal to produce kits for ThunderClan. Berrynose always seemed to get in the way when Foxleap went to visit Rosepetal, seemingly always playing with Grasskit and Maplekit. On the topic of Maplekit, he was gunning to be the proudest father ever.

_"Just think about it!"_ He had said. _"Soon she'll be having kits like mad- I'll be kin to half of the cats in ThunderClan soon!" _

Personally, Foxleap had really felt like pointing out that Berrynose and Rosepetal were half-siblings.

"Glad you're familiar with the plan, Berrynose." Mousewhisker hissed sarcastically, cutting into Foxleap's memory. Berrynose flicked his ear, ignoring his brother.

"Let's continue." Thornclaw said, and set off at a bounding pace. Cloudtail and Berrynose sprinted after him, and Foxleap followed them with a sigh. They were to travel until moon-high, when they would get a rest. The bound to the top of ThunderClan's territory didn't take long, the sky wasn't completely dark yet. StarClan's warriors were beginning to twinkle, and Foxleap found himself wondering which one was Icecloud, his sister.

Blackdeath had taken Icecloud quickly. Her's had been a rather long death, but Jayfeather had said that she had most likely been unconscious for most of the pain. Foxleap had nearly died from Blackdeath too, he had just began to exhibit the symptoms when Jayfeather had announced there was a cure. He had been the lucky one.

Icecloud hadn't been the only one that blackdeath had taken from him. In light of the success in the battle with the dark forest, Foxleap had asked Ivypool to be his mate. She had agreed, and soon they announced kits together. That had been a quarter moon before the outbreak.

She had been in the first to go.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Foxleap noticed that the senior warriors in the front of the pack were finally making a rounding turn. They had reached the edge of WindClan territory and now were traveling parallel to the lake. Foxleap had already traveled more than he usually did in a day, but he didn't feel tired. Jayfeather's herbs must have worked as they were supposed to. He felt as though he could run all the way to the mountains and back.

As Foxleap ran, he couldn't help but remember more of Ivypool. Her silver and white coat. Her skilled paws as she leapt into battle. Her courage to spy on the dark forest and get out of the ordeal alive. Her simple vivacity as she laughed at his stupid jokes.

Her last words.

He could see her now, curled up in the abandoned twoleg nest. Jayfeather and Seedfall (Seedpaw at the time) had been forced to move their practice out of the camp. There were too many sick cats and too little space. Her normally bright silver fur had darkened with sweat and poultices. Blisters covered her pads, making it impossible for her to walk. She had not been the powerful cat he remembered her as.

Ivypool had spoken quickly, somehow realizing that it was the last time she would speak to Foxleap.

"Don't grieve long. Your kits and I will live safely in StarClan as one. We will wait for you, but until then, do not hold back. An opportunity will present itself to you, don't shy away from it. I love you, Foxleap. Be well. "

When Rosepetal had offered her second litter to him, hope evident in her amber eyes, Foxleap had considered it the opportunity Ivypool had spoken of. The same thing had happened when Bramblestar announced this trip. But, Ivypool had spoken of only one-

His ginger body was brought to an abrupt stop by Thornclaw's golden brown rump.

"We've stopped for the night, if you couldn't tell." The senior warrior snapped.

Berrynose let out a guffaw as Foxleap reddened further, "Looks like we know which litter will have more intelligence."

Foxleap gaped at the tom, fury building up in his paws. Once again he longed to tackle the tom, but he knew the action would be looked down on by the lead warriors.

"I beg to differ." He mewed calmly. "At least _I_ didn't mate with my half-sister."

Turning again, he faced the three other incredulous toms.

"So, are we camping or not?"

* * *

**You go Foxleap! **

**Do you guys think the opportunity Ivypool spoke of is relating to RosepetalXFoxleap, the journey to find more she-cats, or something else entirely?**

**I have something completely awesome planned for the next chapter. You guys are going to hate it, but oh well :) **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! **

**cf**


	7. mistake

**Negligent history teacher forgetting to put history homework online = New chapter!**

**Thanks to my reviewers! ****Please continue with the reviews! I really enjoy them. Even if it's a simple "It's good;" I love the feedback.**

**(sorry about no review replies, they took up too much space so I deleted them. next time!)**

**This is the longest chapter yet! I tried to keep it under 1k, but it doubled itself right before my eyes. And I STILL didn't get to cover everything I wanted to. There's always next chapter!**

* * *

"Seedfall." Jayfeather's cross mew cut into Seedfall's thoughts as she set down a pile of mint on the medicine-cat den floor.

"Yeah?" Seedfall mewed, spitting out a yarrow leaf with disgust. The herb store had gotten jumbled and musty over the long illness-free greenleaf. It was due time for a restocking before Leaf-bare hit.

"The tansy, all of it, has gone bad." Jayfeather lashed his tail towards a large clump of yellow flowers and small serrated leaves. "Collect more. While you're at it, collect some alder and comfrey."

"Yes, Jayfeather." Seedfall nodded her ginger head, feeling happy to get out of the stuffy store. She would stop by the nursery on the way out and visit Rosepetal's litter. According to the Clan grapevine, Stonekit had opened her eyes yesterday, but all the other kits were still holding out. Seedfall had immediately taken a liking to the small gray kit. She was calm and very sweet, although she had a penchant for clumsily chasing tails with pin-sharp claws. Soon she and her siblings would be a formidable force against the safety of ThunderClan tails everywhere.

Seedfall held back an amused mrrow when she thought of when the kits would dare to pick Jayfeather as their victim. It happened to every kit, Seedfall could still remember sneaking up behind Jayfeather in his den with Lilykit. The gray tabby tom had given them both a scolding so strong they had avoided him for a good half moon.

Guiding her paws through the prickly nursery entrance, Seedfall found herself stumbling yet again into a very excited Maplekit.

"Guess what?" The tortoiseshell wiggled out of Seedfall's paws and jumped straight up into the air. "Bramblestar told mother I'm becoming an apprentice tomorrow!"

"Me too!" Grasskit mewed indignantly, washing a slightly over-sized paw. Seedfall marveled at how large the two kits had actually gotten. Granted, they weren't quite six moons, but she wouldn't argue with Bramblestar's choice. It would be nice to clear the nursery of two kits, now that four more were there to take their place.

"Congratulations." Seedfall purred as the two kits squeezed past her. "You'll make fantastic apprentices."

After the two kits had left, the ginger she-cat continued deeper into the nursery. As she reached Rosepetal, she barely was able to stifle a joyful mew. Three kits were stumbling around in the moss, their eyes wide and confused. Stonekit seemed to be leading the procession.

"They've opened their eyes." Rosepetal purred, proud of her clutch. "Tumblekit hasn't, yet, but I think he's alright."

Seedfall confirmed Rosepetal's hypothesis with a sniff of Tumblekit's eyelids. She smelled no infection, and the ginger kit gave an indignant squeak at her touch, snuggling towards his mother's belly.

"Who're you?" In accompaniment to the words, small fangs sunk into the medicine cat's tail.

"Ow, Stonekit!" She gently pawed the gray tabby away, turning her attention to the black and cream tom in front of her. "I'm Seedfall, one of your medicine cats. It's nice to meet you, Thistlekit."

The black and cream tom was immediately pushed aside by a vivacious tortoiseshell that looked to be almost an exact copy of Maplekit.

"I'm Daisykit!" She squeaked. "I opened my eyes!"

"I see that!" Seedfall shot back with just as much excitement.

"Aren't they just darling?" Rosepetal cooed, love showing in her blue eyes. "Thistlekit even has green eyes like Foxleap!"

"They look beautiful and healthy." Seedfall said. "I'd best be going at the moment, I have to collect herbs. I, or Jayfeather'll be by later with the treatment."

Seedfall and Jayfeather had learned the hard way that the disease was still around. Maplekit had almost immediately fallen ill, exhibiting the symptoms of a disease thought to be a half-moon eradicated. Thankfully, the cure for blackdeath (cob nuts, mouse bile, turnip root and poppy seeds) had worked. Fearing Grasskit would also fall ill, Seedfall (then Seedpaw) had gone ahead and given him the cure early. Miraculously, it had prevented the cream tom from getting blackdeath at all. That discovery had earned Seedfall her medicine cat name. For as long as the disease still lingered, ThunderClan would use the Seedfall method for treating kits.

The slight ginger she-cat waved her tail in farewell, and ducked out of the nursery. Glancing around, she dashed out of the hollow. If Jayfeather knew she had been diddy-daddling in the nursery instead of hunting herbs, he'd have her tail.

Following the winding trail around the hollow, Seedfall let her nose lead her to a thick patch of tansy, alive with yellow bursts of flowers. Using only the tips of her teeth, Seedfall collected a pile on a dock leaf. Carefully folding the waxy leaf over, she tied the bundle with a tendril of catchweed and left it, planning to collect it on her way back.

Remembering that most of the comfrey grew near the WindClan border, Seedfall took off at a trot. The forest was alive with sounds of prey, sunlight dappling the peaty moss. Twice a mouse practically ran over her paws, and her pale green eyes spotted many a squirrel racing across the tree-tops. All creatures appeared to be enjoying the late summer air.

Soon she reached the WindClan border, finding a spattering of comfrey sprouts along the tree-lined stream. Dirtying her claws, Seedfall dug up the roots of the bush shred by shred. Sighing, she straightened, realizing that alder bark, the third herb that Jayfeather had asked for, grew almost exclusively near the ShadowClan border.

It would be a long herb gathering trip.

The sun was already low in the sky by the time Seedfall reached the Shadowclan border, the comfrey tucked safely under her chin. Finding a nice silver alder, Seedfall took to it with her claws. She first took off the outer layer, then she slowed down, cutting nice even shapes out of the soft inner bark. The alder would be nice to have in stock in case of injury, it made for a great pain reliever

After she had collecting a towering stack of soft white bark, Seedfall considered how she was going to carry it back to the hollow. She was still panting from the jog across ThunderClan territory-she wasn't exactly the most active cat. There was no way she was going to make a second trip to carry both of the herbs. Struggling, Seedfall finally managed to tuck the alder under her chin whilst snagging the majority of the roots in her jaws.

It took a while to get back to the hollow, alternating between wobbling and slipping through the forest. She was unable to see her feet, so it was slow going.

All Jayfeather had to say for her effort was, "You forgot the tansy."

"I left it above the hollow. I can go get it." Seedfall sighed, already feeling asleep on her paws. ThunderClan territory wasn't small or easy to travel.

After trudging up to the top of the hollow and collecting the tansy bunch, Jayfeather sent her on another two tasks. Apparently he hadn't had the time to medicate the kits, or give the elders herbs for the day.

"I need to finish arranging the herbs in the store." Jayfeather commanded. "I left the herbs you need outside. Graystripe needs his usual, and Dustpelt has complained about sore hips. You know what to give the kits."

Seedfall nodded, weariness clear in her movements as she shuffled over. At least the poultices were easy.

First she took to Graystripe's medication, sorting out five black Foxglove seeds onto a dock leaf. She chewed ragwort and ragweed into a smooth poultice, spitting it out on top of the seeds. Done. Moving quickly, Seedfall moved on to Dustpelt. If the crotchety old elder was experiencing hip pain, he needed fennel. A raspberry leaf would assist with easing his tight muscles. When that was done, she spat the mixture on to a separate dock leaf.

Now came for the vile part. Seedfall headed out into the clearing, glad to see that there were plenty of mice left on the fresh-kill pile. Snagging one on a claw, she headed back to the medicine cat den to extract the bile. She separated the nasty substance on four tiny bits of moss, and went to work chewing up a pawful of cobnuts. Once the golden-brown nuts were reduced into an ointment, she spat it out on the moss, and went to work on the rest of the blackdeath cure. After the turnip root was added to the four dock leafs, Seedfall sleepily pawed twenty black seeds from the pile and sprinkled them on top of the leaf. Finally, she added a drop of honey to cover up the vile mouse-bile taste.

Sighing, Seedfall first snatched the elder's medicine in her jaws. Both were settled in their nests by the time she entered the grassy den.

"And here I thought you'd missed a night." Graystripe said good-naturedly, swallowing his daily dosage. Dustpelt was a bit more stubborn, claiming that he didn't need any good-for-nothing herbs.

"It's not like I do anything all day." Dustpelt yawned, turning up his nose at the herb mixture. "Save it for someone who contributes."

"Well, I have a job to do. If you'd take these herbs, it would make it a lot easier for me." Seedfall sighed, her paws drooping. She began to daydream about her nest, how warm and comfortable it would feel. Perhaps Jayfeather would let her sleep in tomorrow. It was a long shot, but it couldn't hurt to dream.

After Seedfall threatened to have Jayfeather deal with him instead, Dustpelt finally consented to ingesting the herbs.

There was only one stop before her nest: the nursery. Seedfall snatched the four shares of the blackdeath cure in her jaws and headed towards the thorn-encrusted structure.

For the third time, Seedfall tripped over something small and furry on her way in. This time it wasn't Maplekit.

"Hi Seedfall! Remember me? I'm Daisykit!" squeaked the small kit, staring up at Seedfall with wide pale green eyes.

"Hi Daisykit."

"Good, they're all settled down now, it's the perfect time to give them herbs." Rosepetal mewed briskly, her blue eyes showing exhaustion to match Seedfall's. "Come now, kits, Seedfall has a special treat for you all."

Seedfall was happy to see Tumblekit up and about, his green eyes wide and his steps clumsy. He was the easiest, he swallowed the small herb mixture without a single complaint. Stonekit was cool and collected, but couldn't help screwing up her face as she swallowed, most likely tasting the mouse-bile. Thistlekit, too, had followed the example of his siblings and swallowed his share without complaint. All three nestled at Rosepetal's belly, immediately feeling the effects of the poppy seeds.

"Ew!" Daisykit mewed, spitting the herb mixture out on the mossy floor. Seedfall wanted to cry, it was always ten times harder to get a kit to swallow something that they had already spit out.

"Daisykit. I bet you five mousetails that you won't eat it." Seedfall rejoiced at the sound of Grasskit's mew. Would it work?

"I will too!" Daisykit squeaked indignantly, bending down and lapping up the mess she had made. She retched twice, but the kit was determined, she swallowed the dosage in entirety. "You owe me five mousetails!"

"Good, Daisykit. This will keep you very healthy! Rosepetal, the kits'll be out for awhile from the poppy seeds. Don't fret if they don't wake up first thing." Seedfall's speech was slightly slurred as she backed out of the nursery, far too excited to climb into her nest. Sinking her claws into the dirt floor of the hollow, she briefly considered quenching the subtle claws of hunger in her stomach, but decided she would do that tomorrow.

The minute her slight ginger form hit the nest, Seedfall was out.

In fact, it seemed like only moments later when she awoke to Jayfeather's muzzle in line with her eyes. His foul breath involuntarily caused her to scrunch up her nose. Was he having a nightmare? What was going on? Her brain was slowed with sleep, Jayfeather had to repeat his words twice before their meaning sunk in.

"Would you care to explain to me why you fed a three-sunrise old kit foxglove seeds?"

* * *

**Oh no. What is the effect of Foxglove seeds? Which kit is affected? What's wrong with them? **

**All revealed in the next chapter, stay tuned! **

**50 reviews would be totally awesome! **

**cf**


	8. flight

"I hereby announce you to the clan bearing your new name, Grasspaw. Although Toadstep is a relatively new warrior, I trust him to teach Grasspaw all that he knows."

Seedfall watched as the small fluffy cream tom stepped forward and touched his nose to the black and white tom's. Before continuing the ceremony, Bramblestar paused. Seedfall could feel his amber eyes sweep across her, and ducked her spine in shame. It was no use, everyone had heard by now.

"Maplekit, step forward." Seedfall raised her head and continued to watch the ceremony. Maplekit's pelt was groomed to a shine, and Seedfall couldn't help wondering who had groomed it. Rosepetal was surely still grieving.

"From this day forward, you will be known as Maplepaw. I will mentor you." Bramblestar's words brought forth murmurs. Seedfall wasn't surprised the least. Who else could Bramblestar trust to control themselves as they trained one of the only she-cats in the Clan?

"Grasspaw, Maplepaw!" The cats began to chant. Bramblestar raised his tail to halt them.

"I-" the brown tabby coughed, "I have another ceremony to perform today. Seedfall, step forward."

Confusion marring her muzzle, Seedfall rose to her feet and snaked her ginger pelt through the crowd to stand where Maplepaw had been moments before.

"Jayfeather has requested Seedfall step down from the position of Medicine Cat apprentice. In accordance with his wishes, I hereby strip you of the name Seedfall and hail you by your warrior name, Seedpelt."

"Maplepaw, Grasspaw! Seedpelt! Maplepaw, Grasspaw!" The Clan cheered for a moment, unsure of whether to cheer on a new warrior.

Seedpelt sat frozen, her pale green eyes locked onto the amber orbs of her leader. Even after Bramblestar turned away, she remained in a state of halted animation as the meeting broke up.

All around her, conversations started up, but Seedpelt couldn't help but pick out Spiderleg's voice in the ensuing drone.

"Who cares? It's not like we needed two medicine cats anyway, and now she can repay what she took. The kit might not live, and we need queens, not medicine cats."

Seedpelt shook her head as if she had bees in her brain. This couldn't be happening. Jayfeather couldn't demote her to warrior status.

Well, he could, but did he also have to change her name? How could Bramblestar agree to this?

Seedpelt leapt to her feet, chasing Jayfeather's blue-gray tail into the Medicine Cat den.

"Jayfeather!" She hissed. "How could you do this?"

"Listen, Seed_pelt_. The mistake you made last night was one a kit would make. What was the first lesson I ever taught you?"

Refusing to buy into the direction he was going, Seedpelt raised her head and guessed.

"Of course I do. You taught me about Marigold, and its many uses."

Jayfeather sighed, and opened his muzzle to speak, "Wrong, though I'm _not_ surprised. I taught you the difference between juniper berries and deathberries and the difference between poppy seeds and foxglove."

Seedpelt inhaled sharply. She was glad that Jayfeather couldn't see, so he couldn't catch the embarrassment in her eyes. Of course that had been the first lesson.

"I have things to do, Seedpelt. I am the medicine cat. Just know that you have other ways of serving your clan. Don't be afraid to utilize them."

Mouth agape, Seedpelt felt her anger dissipate and a new emotion take over. She blindly stumbled out of the den, her paws heavy and her fur on end.

She had no plan once she reached the clearing; her paws shuffled as she tried to think. Where could she go? Seedpelt had never felt so displaced in her life.

What did warriors do? Hunt? She could go hunting, but she knew deep in her heart that she wasn't a hunter. She existed to heal life, not to entice death. Patrol? Something about the idea of walking around the edges of the territory sounded bland and dull. Fight? Who could she fight? She hardly knew how to fight, anyway.

Life was hopeless.

Seedpelt couldn't tell how long she stood outside of the Medicine Cat den before a familiar golden pelt caught her eye. Lightpaw was heading towards her with a happy gleam in his eyes.

Lightpaw was a good friend. _Perhaps he could help her through this_.

"Hi Seedpelt." Lightpaw's meow brought a frown to Seedpelt's face. She had forgotten about her new name. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, nothing." Seedpelt tried to look pleasant, but it wasn't working. "Nice to see you Lightpaw. How is your apprenticeship going?"

"Great; dad says I'm ready for my final assessment soon."

"That's great!" Seedpelt tried to think of more things to say, but her mind was empty, still reeling from her recent demotion. "Uh-"

"Seedpelt, would you like to take a walk in the forest with me?" Lightpaw's blue eyes locked on to hers. "It might help…"

The lithe ginger she-cat nodded immediately. It was best to get out of camp, at least for a little while. Lightpaw beamed, and then turned and led her out of the hollow.

Together, they wove through the sunlight-dappled undergrowth. The sun was dipping lower in the blue sky, but the ground still felt warm under Seedpelt's paws. Thrice she deviated from their path instinctively after the scent of herbs drifted to her nose. Each time her tail drooped lower until it was dragging on the ground.

Eventually, they reached the lake, and Lightpaw sat down in a grassy knoll. He patted his fluffy tail on the spot beside him and Seedpelt gratefully took the chance to sit down.

"So, Seedpelt." Lightpaw said, his tail twitching slightly.

"Yeah?" Seedpelt responded, turning to the smooth golden tom.

"I, uh, was… wonderingifyouwantedtobemates." Lightpaw's soft speech was almost undistinguishable.

Seedpelt recoiled. Had he just said what she thought he did?

"Excuse me?" she asked, curling her claws into the soft dirt. "Can you repeat what you just said?"

"Well…" Lightpaw seemed reluctant to repeat his words. "Spiderleg said… uh, I mean… well I was wondering if you wanted to be mates?"

Seedpelt cringed. All of the terrible thoughts and feelings returned to her body, multiplying tenfold. Her body shook involuntarily as she rose to her feet and attempted to walk away.

"Seedpelt!" Lightpaw's mew caused her to turn around. As soon as the young tom saw the emotion in her eyes, he backed off, confusion disfiguring his muzzle.

"Don't follow me." Seedpelt gasped, feeling as though she could collapse. Was StarClan determined to be cruel to her? What else could they throw at her today? Another five toms asking if she could have their kits?

"Seedpelt!" Lightpaw's cry grew fainter as Seedpelt turn and ran. Her ginger paws carried her to the WindClan stream in minutes. Without a second thought, she jumped the border and ran to the center of the little patch of forest that ran along the stream.

Just then, a slight breeze brought her the scents of a few WindClan warriors. Her sense hadn't completely left her: Seedpelt knew that getting caught wasn't an option. Just as she dove behind a tree, four WindClan cats emerged several fox-leaps away.

Heart rapping, Seedpelt tried to calm her self to the point where she could listen to their conversation.

"Larkpaw and Swiftpaw, can you scent anything?" A gruff voice Seedpelt recognized as Crowfeather, the WindClan deputy, asked.

"ThunderClan!" The two she-cat apprentices chorused, turning Seedpelt to ice.

"Good, since we are at the ThunderClan border." Another warrior (Gorsetail?) mewed. "Anything else?"

"Rabbit!"

"You two stay here." Crowfeather advised, and Seedpelt heard footsteps leading away.

"It's cold!" One of the apprentices mewed as soon as the warriors were gone. "I wish I was Larkpaw, all warm in the medicine cat den!"

"Gustpaw, no you don't! Look at us! We're warriors! You don't want to be a silly medicine cat apprentice! Let's go watch Crowfeather and Gorsetail catch that rabbit."

Seedpelt's mood soured further at the mention of her former position. She was the exact opposite of these apprentices. She loved the thought of healing. She was not cut out to be a warrior, or what ThunderClan really wanted her to be: a queen.

It wasn't her will.

Did her thoughts even matter? Nothing would convince Jayfeather to let her be his apprentice again. A tiny mistake had led to big consequences.

Suddenly, Seedpelt knew exactly what to do. She drew herself to her feet, and took off, her jumbled thoughts finally leaving her head one by one until her head was empty. Dashing across the moor, Seedpelt felt no emotion.

This was her destiny. Her fate may be unchangeable, but her destiny was her choice. She was not going to become a warrior, or a queen. No more toms were going to pressure her. If she couldn't do what she wanted to…

Her muscles were burning by the time she reached the tree crossing. Leaping up to the dry bark, her claws extended from her ginger paws as she took one purposeful step after another, until she reached the midpoint of the fallen tree.

Seedpelt looked down at the dark swirling water below her.

Without a second thought, Seedpelt was flying.

* * *

**Well, not much to say here.**

**Thoughts? Wants? Wishes? Concerns? **

**All available in the review box below. **

**QOTD: If you could be a cat, what would your name be, what would you look like and what Clan would you be from? **

**Me: Clearflight, a pale gray cat from WindClan (the best clan) **

**cf**


	9. warning

**review replies (only for ch8)!**

**Wyldclaw - Yes, I agree. Poor, poor Seedpelt.**

**emj - You didn't just go there :) The kit will be revealed soon.**

**Moonbeam - Your review made me laugh!**

**wildandbrokeneyes - I guess they are kind-of loser-ish but that's Erin Hunter's fault! **

**Skystorm - glad you liked it!**

**Graystorm - I like the name Quickbreeze!**

**Momo - I kind of wished I'd thought of that, but the demise will spur some later action in the story so it was necessary. **

**Icefeather - Clan buddies! Happy turkey day to you too! **

**Streakflower - I'm sorry! I like the name Streakflower, by the way. **

* * *

Five toms sat looking at the mass of blue-gray rock in front of them. They sat shoulder-to-shoulder: gray-cream-brown-white-ginger, braced against the cold.

"Can we afford to spend another three or four sunrises on getting through the Mountains?" Cloudtail asked rhetorically. They couldn't. It had taken them three sunrises to get to this point, after Berrynose had gotten a nasty thorn in his pad. The cream warrior had complained to the point that the group had been forced to let him rest for half of a day. It was now sunrise on their fourth day away from ThunderClan, and now they were faced with the problem about the Mountains.

Cloudtail and Thornclaw had figured they would allot fourteen days to reach wherever they were going, twelve days to get back and four days to convince or recruit she-cats. Who knew how far they would have to travel beyond the mountains to find suitable additions? They couldn't afford to waste half of their days on barely any travel at all.

To Mousewhisker, the solution seemed obvious. He had stayed quiet thus far, afraid of being shot-down by his brother. Finally, the chill seeping under his fur enticed him to speak up.

"How about we go around the mountains?" The gray and white tom meowed.

"Well that's a mouse brained idea if I've ever heard one." Berrynose scoffed immediately. "It'll take us twice as long to go around the mountains."

"Shut up, Berrynose." Foxleap mewed, non-physical exhaustion clear in his voice. "Do you ever think before you talk? Going through the Mountains will cause us to climb up, which will cost us a lot of time. If we can stay on roughly flat ground, we could clear the mountains in a day and a half, at most."

"Granted you don't get another thorn." Mousewhisker hissed under his breath, unable to resist. Berrynose's green eyes lit up with suppressed anger.

"Foxleap and Mousewhisker have a point. What do you think, Thornclaw?" Cloudtail said.

"I think it's the best idea we have at the moment. Let's head off, if we sit here any longer I think my rump might fuse to the ground." Thornclaw spoke as he got to his feet. He and Cloudtail set off at a quick pace, and Berrynose scrambled to catch up to them, sending a murderous glare back at Foxleap and Mousewhisker. The two toms waited a few moments before trotting after the trio.

The sun had almost disappeared by the time Thornclaw pulled off of his makeshift path into a knoll of trees. Mousewhisker followed Foxleap's ginger tail through the growing darkness, painfully aware of the hunger gnawing in his belly. After a few moments, the trees opened up into a small clearing (roughly five fox-lengths). Berrynose was sitting on the far-end, seemingly waiting for them.

"Thornclaw and Cloudtail want you to hunt over there," he said, signaling with his tail. Without another word, he turned around and disappeared into the woods behind him.

"Let's try and do this quickly," Foxleap said, apprehension clear in his voice. "I hate hunting this late." Mousewhisker nodded, and led the way into the forest in the direction Berrynose had pointed out.

Almost immediately his sense of smell was assaulted with the delicious scent of rabbit and mouse. A second, staler scent could be detected underneath the prey-scent, but Mousewhisker ignored it in favor of finding the rabbit.

He dropped into a crouch, meandering through the undergrowth. Finally, he spotted a gray and white pelt not unlike his own. The rabbit was bouncing about, eating shrubbery and glancing around for danger. Mousewhisker crept closer, one mouse-length at a time. He was barely a fox length from the prey when the same scent, but stronger, from before washed over his nose. A loud snarl caused him to instinctively jump into the bush above him. From the low plant, he watched as a fire-pelted animal attacked the rabbit savagely, foam dripping from its mouth.

Mousewhisker, fear-stricken, decided to wait the fox out. As light continued to escape from the horizon, the fox continued to rip the rabbit into smaller shreds. It didn't appear to be eating the prey, only ravaging it. The display sickened Mousewhisker, and he involuntarily retched.

The fox pricked its ears and turned, locking the gray and white cat in its crazed glare. It had new prey in its sights.

Mousewhisker ran for his life. His only consolation was that the fox seemed slower than he expected: he was able to keep a good start on it going full speed. He crashed into the clearing where he had first seen Berrynose, thankful to see every cat present.

"Fox. Behind me!" He gasped, stopping right behind Thornclaw to get his breath. Thornclaw, Cloudtail and Foxleap immediately jumped up as the fox skidded into the clearing. Berrynose got up more slowly, but jumped into the line with vigor.

Excitement glittered in the Fox's green eyes as it leaped at Cloudtail. The white tom immediately reared up and gave the fox two good pops on the ears, sending it backwards. It wasn't done, however, and next it lunged at Thornclaw. The golden brown tom narrowed his eyes and dove under the fox's muzzle, sinking his teeth into its neck.

As Mousewhisker stared in shock, Thornclaw reared backwards, pulling half of the creature's neck skin out with him. The fox stared at the cats as it stumbled to the ground, its blood rushing to form a puddle on the soft forest floor.

"Thornclaw." He choked out, perplexed at his actions. What the light brown warrior had just done was not of a warrior's code. The fox had died a dishonorable death.

"It's not like it was a cat." The brown warrior said in-between spatting out fox blood. "And the thing was clearly mad. You haven't fought a fox before, have you? Not that you want to, but they are fast and their movements are much less straightforward."

"Yeah!" Berrynose nodded, as though he was also an expert on foxes. "Couldn't you see?" He turned to Mousewhisker. "What did you do leading it here, anyway? Now we'll have to move camp."

"Well it's not like he would've had to deal with it if we didn't get told to hunt there!" Foxleap hissed at the cream warrior.

"Who told you to hunt there?" Cloudtail asked.

"You did. Through Berrynose."

"He did not." Thornclaw interrupted, annoyance clear in his mew. "No one did."

Mousewhisker and Foxleap turned to Berrynose. It was clear now; Mousewhisker could see Berrynose's intentions. It was a warning from the cream warrior, or perhaps a challenge. He probably had scented the mad fox ahead of time.

"Oh well. Must have heard you wrong." Berrynose mewed silkily. That was the end of the discussion, as Thornclaw and Cloudtail turned back to their prey. Foxleap offered to share his vole with Mousewhisker, and the gray and white tom gratefully accepted.

That night, they slept in trees to avoid any other surprises the forest could have hidden. Mousewhisker chose a sturdy willow for him and Foxleap, while the other three warriors took to a pine nearby.

Just as Mousewhisker was settling down in a fork of the tree, he felt eyes on his pelt. Turning around slowly, he saw the gleam of bright amber eyes watching him. The glare seemingly was the second warning.

* * *

**Development chapter! Sorry if it's a bit boring or too fast. Let me know in the reviews!**

**How's your turkey day going? I'm about to eat some delicious breakfast casserole :) **

**QOTD: Who is your favorite, and your least favorite character from the Warrior books? (it can be one of your favorites and one of your least favorites) **

**Me: I really like Mothwing, and I don't really like Heathertail. **

**cf**


	10. assessment

**Dang. I just went to my review page to reply to you guys, and I realized I have 92 reviews. Ninety-two! Thank you all so much!**

**EMJ - Crookedstar is awesome. I detest Rainflower for hating him.**

**Caitlinroo - Hmm... that's interesting! I don't really mind Tawnypelt. Yellowfang is awesome though. By the way, I love the name Scorchwillow.**

**Mookie (G) - who's sicilian? Is (s)he a kitty-pet I've forgotten?**

**YouMayKnowMeAsAngel - I totally agree on the Breezepelt part.**

**wildandbroken - Spottedleaf_ is_ pretty cool.**

**Sorrelheart - That's like a reverse of 99% of people on this fandom! I don't care for Squirrelflight exceedingly, but I don't necessarily like Ashfur.**

**Icefeather - I agree, Firestar is the biggest mary-sue (or should we say gary-stu?) in the books. I like him though. Berrynose is insufferable.**

**Skystorm - Jayfeather is a popular cat, it seems!**

* * *

Bramblestar awoke to a dazzling mid-fall sunrise. Splashes of orange and yellow streaked the clouds above a titian sun.

The sunrise marked the third day since a sodden WindClan patrol (all toms, naturally) had arrived with Seedpelt's body in tow.

Crowfeather had expected an explanation, but Bramblestar could offer none. What could he say to the WindClan deputy besides a word of thanks for bringing her body back to the Clan? It had clearly been a grave accident, Seedpelt would be dearly missed. Bramblestar had no choice but to usher the three-cat patrol out of the camp with a few rabbits amid exclamations that hunting was very good in ThunderClan. It the only excuse he could think of to explain the empty camp.

That night, Bramblestar had prepared to sit awkwardly next to Seedpelt's body for vigil. The only other cat who did the same was Lightpaw. No cat left really had a connection to the young medicine-cat-apprentice-turned warrior. All of her kin was dead. Bramblestar briefly considered asking why Lightpaw was grieving for the she-cat, but decided against it. It was nice for the almost-warrior to show compassion for a dead clanmate.

It felt like only minutes later when Bramblestar awoke to a sorrowful yowl. Another cold and still body was laid beside Seedpelt. Daisykit had succumbed to the paralyzing effects of the foxglove seeds she had ingested only sunrises before.

StarClan had not been finished with ThunderClan, however. At dawn the next day, the remaining three kits of Rosepetal's litter had taken advantage of their mother's sorrowful distraction and found their way into Jayfeather's den. Not only had they found the herb store, but according to Jayfeather, all three of them had ingested a decent amount of borage. Not life-threatening at their age, but Jayfeather had informed him of a severe side effect at their age.

Infertility. Stonekit now had no reproductive future for the life of her Clan. She was now nearly as useful as Daisykit: dead. It didn't matter much for the toms: Tumblekit and Thistlekit, there were plenty of toms able to father kits. The more pressing problem was that yet again ThunderClan's future rested on only Rosepetal and Maplepaw.

The sunrise also marked the thirtieth sunrise since the last gathering. This meant only one thing. At twilight, Bramblestar would be forced to leave his camp practically unguarded to keep up appearances. Even if he took every member of his clan, excluding Rosepetal and her kits, it would amount to only twelve cats. And he couldn't leave Rosepetal unguarded, even though all of her current kits were practically useless.

Bramblestar was broken out of his reflections with a yowl from his deputy.

"We're doing Lightpaw's final assessment. You wanted to come watch, remember?"

Bramblestar rose to his tabby paws, nodding. It would be nice if he could introduce a new warrior at the gathering. The last had been Snowpelt and Dewclaw, moons ago. His only consolation was that the other Clans hadn't been doing too well in the new warrior department either. The last he could recall being named was Hollowreed and Rushstone from RiverClan, and that had been ages before even Snowpelt. RiverClan still was the biggest Clan, with four apprentices and at least five she-cats remaining after the epidemic. However, WindClan and ShadowClan were fast approaching their numbers. ThunderClan appeared to be the only one stuck in reverse.

As Bramblestar leaped down from the high-ledge and trailed the two golden toms out of camp, he passed the nursery. Inside he could hear the squeaks and squeals of kits aplay, and the tired voice of Rosepetal scolding them for being too loud. His ears pricked with an idea. _Perhaps he could offer to father Rosepetal's third litter. _It wasn't like Squirrelflight would necessarily mind, and he had always wanted kits. A purr rumbled in his throat as he thought about miniature versions of him (tom, of course), running around camp.

As he exited the camp behind Lionblaze, his nose caught the scent of Toadstep and Grasspaw. Realizing he had forgotten something, he mewed a quick, "Wait for me" in the general direction of Lionblaze, and dashed back into camp. Sure enough, Maplepaw was waiting patiently by the apprentice den.

"Hi, Maplepaw. I'm sorry, I forgot I promised to watch Lightpaw's final assessment. Would you be okay with observing it also?"

Maplepaw bounced to her feet, bobbing her head excitedly.

"That sounds great! I can't wait to go out in the forest!"

Bramblestar nodded, and turned tail again. He lead Maplepaw along Lionblaze's scent trail until they reached the moss clearing. There, both mentor and apprentice were waiting patiently for the leader.

"Maplepaw is going to observe" Bramblestar said.

"Okay, I was just briefing Lightpaw on what we expect him to do."

Lightpaw rose to his paws once his father finished.

"I'm to find four pieces of prey, one must be a bird and none may be mice, and then bury them at the Sky Oak. Then, I'm to attempt to hide my scent trail until sunset, when I'm expected back at the camp" Lightpaw recited. "You guys will give me the time it takes to eat a chaffinch before you attempt to track me."

"Very good! You may start." Bramblestar mewed, glancing at Maplepaw to make sure she was listening. This test was standard protocol for ThunderClan apprentices, although the amount of prey changed from season to season. In green-leaf it was six, while in the thick of leaf-bare apprentices were expected to only find two pieces.

While Lightpaw completed the hunting part of his assessment, Bramblestar took Maplepaw down the WindClan border, pointing out the moorland and the occasional hare. By the time they reached the lake, it was midday. The two cats then headed up into the forest to the Sky Oak. There, Lionblaze was waiting.

"He left only moments ago." The deputy mewed, pride clear in his eyes. "Two robins, a blackbird and a shrew."

"Wow!" Maplepaw mewed, her eyes wide. "Will I be able to catch robins?"

"I'll teach you," Brambleclaw said, amusement clear in his voice. "They certainly aren't easy."

The three cats waited a few minutes longer before dashing along Lightpaw's scent trail. Together they followed it around the hollow and nearly to the top edge of ThunderClan territory. There, the scent trail stopped abruptly at a grouping of ferns.

Bramblestar looked around, stumped. After a few moments, he registered panting and turned to look at Maplepaw. The little she-cat looked exhausted. He frowned. He should have known not to take his fresh apprentice on a dash across the whole of ThunderClan territory on her first day out.

"Hey, Lionblaze?" he called.

"Yes?" The response came from a few tree-lengths away.

"I'm taking Maplepaw back to camp. I'll be back in a few moments."

Without waiting for a reply, Bramblestar beckoned to the small tortoiseshell she-cat. They headed back to camp at a trot. Although her chest heaved, Maplepaw chattered excitedly the whole way back. She certainly was a bit different from her father, Berrynose, who had been Brambleclaw's first apprentice.

The sun was yet again beginning to tinge the clouds with orange by the time Brambleclaw headed back out into the forest. There, he headed off in a random direction, hoping to pick up Lightpaw's scent. He traveled for several foxlengths before he stumbled over a pile of sticks. Perplexed, he looked down at his feet. In the process, he caught sight of another pile only three foxlengths away.

Bramblestar decided to follow the line of sticks, ears pricked and alert. _What in StarClan was going on? _

Finally, the little stick piles came to a stop in the center of a small clearing. Confused yet again, Bramblestar looked around. The lightest scent of ferns caused him to raise his head to the treetops. There, Lightpaw's golden face stared down at him.

Bramblestar yowled in surprise, leaping backwards. Lightpaw leaped down from the tree into the center of the clearing, amusement curling his muzzle.

"Well done, Lightpaw!" Bramblestar meowed, his heart still not quite back to normal. "You've most definitely passed the assessment in my eyes."

"Thank you, Bramblestar." Lightpaw dipped his head. "May I ask to talk about something else?"

Bramblestar nodded.

"I want to choose my own warrior name."

It came as a surprise, but it wasn't unheard of. Bramblestar nodded hesitantly. Perhaps he wanted to be named after another cat.

"That would be fine. I was thinking Lightclaw, for your hunting abilities, but perhaps you would prefer Lightpelt, after your mother, or Lightblaze, even?"

Lightpaw gave a gentle shake of his head.

"I want to be named after Seedfall." Seeing the shock in Bramblestar's eyes, Lightpaw forged on. "Not Seedpelt, but her real name, Seedfall."

* * *

**Not my best chapter... Oh well. This was a bit of writers block-chapter for me, hopefully now that it's done I can write faster! **

**100 reviews would be awesome :) **

**Reader Poll: Would you like next chapter to cover Lightpaw (or should I say Lightfall?)'s warrior ceremony + the gathering, or a segment of the traveling toms (Berrynose, Thornclaw etc.)? **

**QOTD: What is your favorite non-canon (or canon but didn't work out?) pairing? i.e. SquirrelXAsh, BlueXThrush, BlueXFire, DarkXFern etc...**

**Mine is definitely BlueXThrush! It should have been canon 100%**

**cf**


	11. leadership

**Thanks to everyone for the support! I wasn't going to do review replies... but what the hay!**

_**The Skystorm - Thanks! *Hands out BlueXThrush pom-poms* Let's rally together!**_

_**Icefeather - I thought DoveXBumble was canon in the end? Oh well, doesn't matter. I have to say, I like Dovger better :) **_

_**MyBrokenHeart123 - Thank you! **_

_**Guest - I did have to look that up! Interesting, I think "tsundre" fits them both extremely well!**_

_**Guest - Yay, another BlueXThrush groupie! **_

_**Gingehfish - You're very welcome! I've completely forgotten about SwiftXBright... I love it!**_

_**Guest - You might just be getting what you want! :) **_

_**YouMayKnowMeAsAngel - I might have to join the IvyHawk groupie... group... as well!**_

_**Everlasting Meow - I think Lightpaw is definitely not the normal tom**_

_**Frosti xD - BerryXHoney... NOT ANOTHER ONE! I'm overloaded already! **_

_**Wazzzy Girl - Thanks!**_

_**Icewish - Thanks a bunch! **_

* * *

"-able to catch their own prey!" Bramblestar listened to his yowl bounce off of the camp walls, becoming more and more distorted with each pass.

As the meager supply of cats gathered beneath him, Bramblestar couldn't help but frown. How could he take enough cats to that night's gathering to keep up images, while leaving guards for the camp?

Suddenly, an idea hit him. He felt a tingling in his claws as a small smirk curled his lip. It was a perfect way to explain the lack of warriors at the gathering and at the same time explain Daisykit's untimely death. The only shortcoming was that it didn't explain Seedpelt's death.

_Oh well_, Bramblestar thought, _I can think on my paws_.

"Today, I am pleased to perform one of the most important Clan ceremonies. By naming warriors we prove that ThunderClan prospers."

The word 'prospers' brought whispers that Bramblestar chose to ignore.

"Lionblaze, has your apprentice Lightpaw passed his apprenticeship to the best of your comprehension?"

"Yes, Bramblestar" the yellow short-haired deputy nodded his head along with his words, stepping backwards.

Next the brown tabby leader turned his amber eyes to Lightpaw. The small fluffy gold tom sat stoically: his blue eyes ablaze. For a moment, Bramblestar was thrown off guard at how similar they were to Cinderheart's, his mother. It was almost as if the she-cat herself had risen from the grave with a different coat.

He shook his head, resetting.

"I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Lightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Lightpaw answered in the affirmative, his voice eerily even.

"Then, by StarClan's power, I crown you by your new name. Lightpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Lightfall, for your... compassion and your coat." Bramblestar stuttered, realizing he had messed up the order of the ceremony. "StarClan welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Lightfall! Lightfall! Lightfall!"

After the cheering had died down, Bramblestar forged onward.

"Tonight, as you all know, marks the full moon. The cats that will be going to the gathering are: Lightfall, Lionblaze, Maplepaw, Jayfeather, Grasspaw, Toadstep and Spiderleg. We will be leaving in the next few moments to arrive in time."

Bramblestar waited until Maplepaw weaved her way out of the thorn tunnel before speaking to the group of seven cats before him.

"ThunderClan can not be seen as weak at this gathering."

"Why would it?" Grasspaw asked curiously, his tail flicking excitedly as he thought of the gathering.

"Seven cats is small. Double, maybe even triple that is what ThunderClan brought in it's prime." Bramblestar answered, his tail flicking. "So, to explain this, I have a story that I want us all to stick to."

The cats waited for him to speak, their dark eyes gleaming in the growing darkness.

"A fox attacked camp three sunrises ago. That's why we don't have many warriors with us, they stayed behind to guard the camp just in case. Also, the fox managed to kill Daisykit. I don't want a word whispered about Seedfall- Seedpelt giving her the wrong herb."

"What about Seedpelt? What do we say about her?" Bramblestar couldn't pinpoint who asked the question, but he would have bet his weight in mouse tails that it had been Lightfall.

He directed his answer at the golden warrior.

"If anyone asks, especially WindClan, simply say that it's quite a tragedy and we mourn her death. Skirt around the name lest anyone has questions."

At that, Bramblestar took off, not wanting to face any more questions. The surrounding cats followed him through the forest as he leaped the stream that fed into the lake and cut diagonally across WindClan territory. They wouldn't meet a gathering party now, surely. ThunderClan was late.

At last, the party reached the fallen tree bridge. Bramblestar leaped up with vigor, anchoring his claws onto the branch as he skittered across. He was all nerves, worried about how ThunderClan would be seen. Would the other Clans buy the fox story? Would they have already heard of Seedfall...pelt's death? Would they attack ThunderClan at dawn, sensing weakness?

ThunderClan burst into the clearing, panting. Seeing that the gathering was just about to start, Bramblestar nodded to his Clanmates and took off towards the tree with Lionblaze. The golden tom stayed at the bottom, while Bramblestar clawed his way up to the lowest branch. He avoided the other leader's eyes above him.

A loud, commanding yowl from Rowanstar announced that the gathering had finally begun.

"Now that ThunderClan is finally here, ShadowClan will speak first!" No cat objected to this, so the red-brown tom forged on. "Prey is running well here in late green-leaf. Ratscar has moved to the elder's den-" he paused for a few congratulatory yowls, and then continued "Kinkfur has moved to the nursery, and is expecting a litter soon. That is all ShadowClan has to say. RiverClan?"

BrambleStar was expecting Mistystar's croaky mew, but instead, a strong powerful voice rang out.

"I regret to inform you all that Mistystar has passed away! I stand before you as Reedstar, as I have received my nine lives from StarClan!" Reedwhisker- now Reedstar, called to the Clans. It seemed like every cat mewed congratulations to the tom. "I bring news: Honeypaw and Leafpaw passed their apprentice assessments and are here tonight as Honeyshade and Leafpelt. In addition, Icewing has given birth to my kits, two toms: Fishkit and Turtlekit!"

After the yowls had quieted, Reedstar signaled to the WindClan leader to talk.

"It seems as though this gathering will be a monumental one!" Bramblestar's expression grew surprised as he recognized Crowfeather's mew from high above. "Ashstar passed away only two sunrises ago.. WindClan will mourn her. However, I have decided to not take the role of leader, as I am not a young tom myself. Don't fear! I'm not quite an elder yet, though. I have chosen Emberfoot to be WindClan's next leader, and he stands next to me as Emberstar!"

Bramblestar craned his neck up to see the new leader, nearly losing his footing in the process. Crowfeather was still speaking.

"Emberstar has asked me to continue to serve as deputy of WindClan, and I have accepted." The black tom finished, and as if to prove he wasn't inept yet, took a diving leap off of the branch he shared with the leader and landed gracefully on the floor below. He moved to stand by Lionblaze, his son and fellow deputy.

"My thanks to Crowfeather!" Emberstar's voice carried out through the gathering. "WindClan hasn't had much excitement. My clan brings three new apprentices to the gathering: Larkpaw, Gustpaw and Swiftpaw. Larkpaw has chosen to serve under Kestrelflight as medicine cat apprentice."

Bramblestar knew it was now his time to speak. He stepped forward, and opened his jaws.

"ThunderClan welcomes the new leaders Emberstar and Reedstar!" His words echoed across the clearing as several cats mewed their agreement. "ThunderClan brings mixed news. Tonight, we have brought one new warrior and two new apprentices: Lightfall, Grasspaw and Maplepaw! In other good news, Rosepetal has birthed her second litter, with two toms and a she-kit: Stonekit, Tumblekit and Thistlekit. Sadly, her fourth kit: Daisykit, was killed in a fox accident. ThunderClan's camp has been left heavily guarded to ensure this will not happen again."

Bramblestar stepped back to end the gathering, but before he could leap down from the oak, Emberstar asked about Seedpelt.

"And your medicine cat?"

"Oh yes. I also regret to inform you that Seedp...fall has passed on. Her body was found in the lake by a WindClan patrol. ThunderClan gives much thanks to WindClan for bringing her home."

Emberstar nodded, satisfied, and jumped down from the tree, his darker patterned feet hitting the moss first.

Bramblestar stared after him.

Somewhere deep in his belly, he felt a strong sense of foreboding about the new WindClan leader.

* * *

**Reviews would be great! **

**Traveling cats are next on deck, everyone okay with that? **

**cf**


	12. prize

The travelers reached the other side of the mountain by the morning of the fifth day.

Thornclaw had awoken Mousewhisker and Foxleap at dawn's first light, claiming to have scouted ahead and seen that not much traveling remained. Without a bite of breakfast, the she-cat patrol as they had jokingly named themselves set off again.

Now, they stood looking over the old territory.

"I really can't believe it" said Cloudtail softly. "I knew they were wrecking the forest...but this?"

"It's tragic." Berrynose chimed in. Beside Foxleap, Mousewhisker flicked his ear in annoyance. Only Thornclaw and Cloudtail had lived in the old forest. Berrynose was attempting to sound important, but failing miserably.

Foxleap gazed at the older warrior, uncomfortable in his ignorance. He, like Mousewhisker and Berrynose, had been born several seasons after the Clans had reached the lake. He had no comprehension of what it felt like to see an old home destroyed.

And destroyed it was. Over what Foxleap could estimate had been the old forest, countless brightly-pelted twoleg dens sat side-by-side. They were practically built wall to wall, with only the thinnest strips of black thunderpath separating one den from the next. A river cut through the middle of the grouping, trickling and bubbling pathetically. It seemed nothing like the fish-filled roaring river his mother had told him of.

"Let's go see if Ravenpaw's barn is still here. It was always great for an easy bite of prey" Thornclaw said, gesturing with his tail for the other's to follow him. Foxleap followed, his tail waving happily at the idea of seeing the legendary Ravenpaw. According to Clan legend, the black apprentice had been the first to notice Tigerstar's treachery and dangerous ambition in all of ThunderClan. He had also been one of Firestar's best friends, alongside Graystripe.

That tale had been Foxleap's favorite elder tale, while Icecloud had liked the classic LionClan stories.

The five cats took a leisurely lope towards the barn. As they ran, Thornclaw pointed out a looming hole in the rock-face.

"Mother mouth" he called, "Entrance to the moon-stone. It was where we connected to StarClan back when we lived here."

Foxleap stared at the rock for as long as his neck would allow. It looked a lot less approachable than the Moon-pool, in his opinion.

"Here's the..." Thornclaw let his words trail off as the group rounded a bend in the trees. He slowed to a cautious trot.

In front of him sat a heap of half-rotted red wood.

"Well, there's bound to be mice anyway." Cloudtail offered. "Should we go anyway?"

Foxleap's heart sunk. He wouldn't get to meet Ravenpaw. The storied black tom was most likely dead or long gone.

"Why not?" Thornclaw mewed, and picked up his pace. The group reached the mound in seconds, and then spread out. Foxleap hesitantly pushed over a small piece of white wood with a claw. He was surprised to hear frightful squeaking.

He had uncovered a mouse nest! Quickly, he killed five mice in a row, snagging the mother last. He picked the tiny bodies up in his jaws, and proudly backed up to go join the group. Just then, an angry yowl almost shocked him into dropping his catch.

"Get away! This is mine! You hear me? My territory!"

Foxleap dashed to the sound of the voices, finding the rest of his patrol circled around a frightened Berrynose. Across from the tom stood a patchy-furred half-bald black tom with crazed yellow eyes and foam bubbling at his mouth. The questionable tom was holding up a paw, broken claws extended.

"Ravenpaw?" Cloudtail mewed, shock clear in his blue eyes. "What happened to you?"

The only answer he got was a long hiss, which varied in tone and intensity. The black tom took a step forward, and Berrynose instinctively matched his movement.

"_My_ prey." Ravenpaw caterwauled suddenly, his paw swiping at empty air. "_Ravenpaw_'s prey!"

Foxleap felt his own jaw drop. This couldn't be Ravenpaw! Then again, Dustpelt was apparently his brother, and the brown tom was an elder back in ThunderClan. Perhaps Ravenpaw's age had scrambled his mind.

"Easy." Thornclaw stepped forward. "You can have your prey." He nodded at Berrynose, who instinctively dropped the two adult mice he was holding and swatted them. One hit Ravenpaw in the face and nearly made the tom fall over. It would have been comical if not in the current circumstances.

When Thornclaw nodded at Foxleap to drop his prey as well, the ginger tom felt anger rise up in his belly. This was his catch, fair and square! Who was he, to give it up to this mange-pelt loner.

"Yeah, we don't want it!" Mousewhisker yowled, looking expectantly at Foxleap. "It's probably all infected with mad-cat disease, like you!"

At this, Foxleap's anger dissipated and he immediately dropped the baby mice.

"We're leaving." Thornclaw said, turning his back on Ravenpaw and loping past Foxleap. The ginger tom immediately followed him, falling in line with Cloudtail. A shaken Berrynose and his brother Mousewhisker followed them.

As they reached the edge of the clearing, Foxleap couldn't help but look back. There he saw Ravenpaw, sputtering foam as he ate all five of his baby mice in one gulp. After that, Foxleap didn't look back.

* * *

After the Ravenpaw debacle, Thornclaw had allowed them all a few moments to hunt, after which they had gotten right back on track. Instead of messing around with Twolegplace, Thornclaw chose to follow the river south- the direction that seemed to have more forests in the distance.

It was midday before the toms met the edge of the forest. Foxleap exhaled, happy to be back in familiar terrain. The river-bank had seemed far too open to all types of danger. Here the toms all slowed to a trot, tasting the air hopefully incase there happened to be she-cats around.

Foxleap scented him first. He was just opening his mouth to say something when Cloudtail whispered a warning into Thornclaw's ear. At a tail-signal, the team halted. After a few moments, a older-but-healthy brown tabby tom parted the ferns a few feet away.

"Ah." the tom said. His voice was a bit distorted, odd. "Travelers, I assume?"

Everyone looked at Thornclaw to respond.

"Yes." the golden tom said tactfully. "We're looking for recruits, particurally she-cats."

"Interesting."

No one said anything for a moment.

"Well, if you're looking for she-cats, there's a band of cats about a quarter-day's travel from here, in that direction-" he paused to lift a paw in the direction he spoke of "-that have a whole gaggle of she-cats. Five -at least- and I've only seen one tom."

"That sounds gr-" Thornclaw started.

"Hold your whiskers, young'un. It's a pair of parents and their kits. They aren't going to go anywhere easily. Tight bunch, I tell you."

"Still, I think we'll try them. Thank you, uh-"

"Thompson. Nice meeting y'all as well. Good luck finding your...she-cats."

Foxleap noticed Thornclaw didn't extend an offer to Thompson to join the Clan, rightfully so in the ginger tom's opinion. The Clan was unbalanced enough as it was.

Without another comment, Thornclaw set off in the direction Thompson had pointed out. Foxleap guessed he didn't assume anyone would have objected at his choice to trust Thompson wholeheartedly.

Thompson's estimate proved a little short, as the sun was nearly three-quarters of the way through the sky when the cats stumbled upon a faint scent. It was far too faint to tell anything from it, except that it was from a cat. Still, the five toms followed it eagerly.

Dusk was approaching as they finally found the source of the scent. Three cats sat shoulder-to-shoulder downwind, faced away from them. All three were attentively watching a forth and a fifth tumble around in the clearing in front of them.

Foxleap let their scent wash over his tongue, his eyes lighting up. She-cats they were.

Beside him, Thornclaw's claws dug into the ground.

"I think we just found our prize."

* * *

**See, this is why I can't pre-write chapters. I wrote this one last night with the last one, and I couldn't wait to post it. **

**So... I guess take advantage of my impatience! **

**Q(s)OTD: What coat color/eye color combos do you think are over-used in warrior fanfiction? What prefixes/suffixes do you think are over-used? **

**Me: I think silver coat/blue eyes is a bit overdone. Also, Silver- & Moon- are seen a lot. I don't know if I see prefixes a lot, but I do notice that a ton of tom-warriors are named ...-claw and ...-pelt. **

**cf**


	13. hunt

Thanks for the reviews! Replies to Chapter 12.

**Gingehfish**: Oh no, I swear I miss one book and it gives away vital information! I already mentioned this to you in a PM, but perhaps "Ravenpaw of Chapter 12" is just a delusional rogue who thinks he's Ravenpaw! I agree, -blaze is used a lot.

**Islanda**: Yeah, the suffixes have expanded a lot. I'm grateful, I quite like names such as Squirrelflight and Foxleap.

**Robinwing16**: Your wait is over!

**Icewish**: I'm glad I haven't seen a Glimmer- cat before! o.o

**YouMayKnowMeAsAngel**: That's an interesting point. I wonder what percentage of white cats with blue eyes are deaf in the *real world*

**Everlasting Meow**: Thank you!

**Icefeather (guest)**: Yes, know that you mention it, I see Leaf- all the time. Leafheart, Leafstep, Leafwillow etc. etc.

**The Skystorm**: I think black fur/green eyes is a beautiful combo, but amber eyes are much more realistic. It's a bit over-used, I agree!

**Song of falling feathers**: Thank you!

**Shadow**: Yes, ginger is all over the place. This, I am guilty of. I love ginger cats!

**Graystorm (guest:** Good point, gray fur-blue eyes is seen all the time in cannon.

**iFox Whisper: **Here's your update! Thanks!

**Demigoddess: **I actually haven't seen Brightpath a lot, I'll have to pay more attention!

**MyBrokenHeart: **Thanks!

**Eternity: **I agree with you on all of that! We need some originality as a fandom!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Hawk was abruptly awoken by a cuff over the ears. Still slightly unconscious, she started abruptly, churning the air with her outstretched paws. Once she realized her surroundings, she hissed instinctively, tucking her tail over her nose and curling further into a ball.

"You could be more gentle," she growled, knowing without opening her eyes that it was Swan who had awoken her. Her amber-eyed, black-dappled sister always smelled like the lavender she lined her nest with.

"And you could wake up by yourself," mewed Swan, as Hawk cracked open one yellow eye. "I let you sleep as long as I could. Mother took Duck and Rabbit to the Peat Clearing a while ago."

Peat Clearing was where battle training was taught. Hawk would be left out of a fighting lesson.

"What are we doing?" Hawk sighed, more reluctant than ever to get to her paws and start the day. Most likely, it'd be hunting again. Like the day before. And the day before that. And the day before that. It had been five days since Hawk had practiced fighting.

"Hunting with Deer. Splash told me she wanted four rabbits and a toad between us, plus plenty of mice. She said if we finish early, we can leave the prey here and go join in with her and Hershey's lesson."

Hawk was suddenly glad that Deer was slotted to hunt with them. The tabby and white she-cat was the best runner out of all of them. Catching rabbits came easily to her, unlike Hawk, who stumbled over her feet anytime her prey switched course.

"Well, let's get on it then," Hawk stumbled to her paws, waggling her spine up and down to stretch it. She angled her neck back and gave her fur a few quick licks. "I want to get to the fighting lesson today. Hunting is boring."

"Hunting is necessary. Mark my words, we'll never have to use our fighting skills, granted we stay here-"

"That's what's so boring about this place-" Hawk interrupted, sighing, "- I want to go live with other cats, or even by myself. Just so I can do anything!"

Swan didn't respond as she lead the way out of camp. A few feet from the fern entrance sat Deer.

"Good morning!" the tabby meowed, blinking her wide green eyes rapidly in the sunlight.

"You too," spoke Hawk, trying to make her mew as genuine as possible. She shook out her claws, sending a mud clod into the ferns.

"Splash told me we still need to hunt within our borders," Deer informed them, arching her spine to stand up. "I was thinking the meadow?"

Beside Hawk, Swan nodded. Hawk didn't respond, instead thinking longingly of the beautiful riverbank that was several tree-lengths out of their territory. One of her parent's only rules stated that none of the siblings were allowed out of the territory without either Hershey or Splash to supervise them. Hawk hated the rule. Hopefully, one day, she would be free to roam wherever she pleased, whenever she wanted to.

As they started off towards the meadow, Hawk pinpointed several fowl fluttering about. Her claws itched to turn and give chase, but Splash had chastised her one too many times for Hawk to chance bringing home prey that she didn't ask for. Splash always had a specific prey list, and she wasn't interested in anything that wasn't on it.

"Ay!" Swan, who was slightly ahead of her, hissed. Hawk immediately slid to a stop, crouching behind her. Hopefully Swan had spotted a rabbit.

Daring to peek, Hawk found that her wish had been answered...plus some. Three small brown-coated rabbits were feasting on a patch of wild strawberries three fox-lengths ahead of the she-cats. Sensing movement to her left, Hawk turned to glance at Deer, who was creeping around to get behind the rabbits. She nodded at Swan, and the black-dappled she-cat immediately separated from Hawk and quietly stepped a few pawsteps away before continuing to creep forward. Hawk matched her pace, excitement bubbling up in her chest. Every hair on her body wanted to explode forward and give chase to the rabbits, but that time would come. For now, Deer would hopefully explode upon the rabbits, killing one or two, and sending the rest running. That's where Hawk and Swan would come in.

Finally, Deer sprung upon the rabbits, killing one immediately with a bite and lashing out at the other. A splatter of red rose from a small leg gash as the panicked animal took off towards Hawk. Without looking, Hawk could tell that Swan had disappeared after the other, uninjured rabbit, a choice Hawk was grateful for. Catching an injured rabbit was something even Hawk could manage by herself.

The rabbit, scenting Hawk, suddenly turned to the left and skidded around. Hawk immediately leaped forward, hitting the ground running. With every pace, she got closer and closer to the rabbit until she finally batted it to the ground and plunged her teeth into its neck, snapping the bone.

Dashing back to Deer, Hawk set her rabbit down and quickly started a prey hole. Swan returned with her own rabbit, and soon all three were off to finish their prey requirement. Deer was going to find a fourth rabbit, while Swan and Hawk took care of the toad and the mouse.

"I don't even understand why we need to catch a toad." Hawk grumbled, after their task had been completed. The rubbery-skinned amphibian had tasted disgustingly chalky as she carried it along with a mouse, and two rabbits tucked under her chin. The tortoiseshell was overjoyed when the three-cat hunting group finally returned to their camp.

"Hershey likes them," said Swan, dumping her own load of three mice and a rabbit onto the prey pile in the corner of camp. Deer quickly followed with her large hare and the last rabbit.

Hawk didn't bother replying, instead overjoyed at the fact that there was still time left in the day for them to get to the fighting lesson. She took the lead as they traveled towards the Peat Clearing, her blue and cream paws thumping in excitement. She skidded to a stop when the trees thinned out, and the ground underpaw went from hard to soft.

"Good, you're done?" Splash asked curtly, waving Hawk, Deer, and Swan over to her with her tail.

"Yes." Hawk answered, her tail flicking in excitement.

"Swan and Deer, you can come watch. Hawk, I'd like you to spar with Rabbit. In a moment, we'll rotate with Hershey and Duck who are working in the undergrowth."

Hawk nodded, and turned to face her black-and-white sister with a fake snarl. Rabbit matched her growl, and the two she-cats began to circle each other, lashing out with a claws-sheathed paw when they could. Finally, Hawk found her opportunity. She bunched her haunches underneath her and sailed towards Rabbit. The black she-cat was ready, and rolled towards her, causing Hawk to land awkwardly a few feet away. Rabbit took advantage of her heavy landing, and knocked her over. Hawk rolled with her, batting her stomach with her hind paws. After a few rotations, Hawk pushed Rabbit off of her, springing several steps back. As she prepared to try to leap again, her eyes drifted to the forest behind Splash and her watching sisters.

What she saw made her gasp and snarl at the same time. Five pairs of eyes, belonging to strong, wild-looking cats, were staring right at her.

"Invaders!"

* * *

**Oh, Hawk. :)**

**QOTD: If you were a cat, would you be better at hunting or fighting? **

**Expect an update ASAP!**

**cf**


	14. answer

Hi guys! I've decided on a required schedule for my fanfics. I'm going to update Depth (this story) on Saturdays, Vestige on Sundays (although I may miss tomorrow: upcoming finals = lots of homework) and guess that cat at least once a week (no set day). Looks like I'm doing good so far :)

**Review Replies for Chapter 13:**

**- Skystorm of TC: That would make you a better fighter, for sure! Thanks for reviewing!**

**- Robinwing16: I think I would probably be better at hunting too!**

**- YouMayKnowMeAsAngel: Your review made me laugh :) Clumsy is not a good thing to be whilst fighting off an enemy warrior! **

**- Song of falling feathers: thank you!**

**- Mybrokenheart123: Me too!**

**- Shadowfur1017: I'd be a hunter too, I think. Thank you!**

**- ScipioPB: Yup, Hawk is not the most talented at hunting. But injured rabbits... they better be careful around her :)**

**- Gingehfish: Splash _is_ odd. She's based off my hyper, odd-acting tortoiseshell cat :)**

**- Lady of Twilight Stars: I know, I think you'll see that Thornclaw leaves out the "she-cats have to have kits ASAP" unsaid rule in this chapter :)**

**- elise marielle: Thank you! **

**- Everlasting Meow: Thanks for letting me know, it looks like someone informed Viridis of a copycat summary? (Didn't see it so I don't know how similar it is). I'm pleased that my story inspired him/her, however! **

**- FoxXxofthenight: You have your stuff together! I enjoyed reading about Fuzzystar's life! Also, we're WindClan buddies :) **

**- iFox Whisper: Yeah, I agree. I think I'd be okay at fighting, but I don't think I would enjoy it like Tigerstar or anything. **

**- Psychic: It seems like a lot of people would be better at hunting! **

**- RockingReezy: Thank you, and your review also made me laugh. Good thing you aren't a cat, according to you! :) **

_Please enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

Hawk sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Deer and Rabbit. Duck and Swan were flanking them, their matching white coats glowing in the growing darkness. A fox-length in front of them sat Splash and Hershey, sitting so close their long-furred coats brushed each other.

"Life in ThunderClan is hard work, but it has many rewards," the golden-brown tom that went by the name of Thornclaw said, keeping Hawk's attention. Ever since the word "Clan" had exited the white fluffy tom's mouth, she hadn't missed a word any of them had said. All five of the toms met the old loner's description given to her moons ago to a T. "We gain the experience of living together and learning as a group. Until a few moons ago, we had a large Clan. Fortunately, our numbers have now reduced and we are willing to adopt outsiders into our Clan for the first time in a long time."

Thornclaw took a deep breath and turned to the white fluffy tom, who nodded hesitantly. Hawk watched the exchange with fascination. The Clan-goers had strange tendencies, like knowing what the other was going to say without speaking.

"So, we'd like to invite all of you to join ThunderClan." Thornclaw spoke amiably, widening his eyes as he glanced at each cat in front of him. Was Hawk imagining the unhappy look in his eye as he looked at Splash and Hershey? Perhaps the golden tom only wanted younger cats to join ThunderClan's ranks.

As Hawk mulled this over, along with her parents, in silence, she caught Thornclaw looking at her again. Only this time, his gaze wasn't questioning, but... _hungry_. Hawk shifted uncomfortably. His green-tinted stare seemed to grow hotter with each passing moment. Hawk had never felt so fraught.

The next time she glanced up, Thornclaw was looking away. Hawk exhaled in relief, giving her fur a few quick licks. Perhaps she had misread his glance. Hawk shifted her shoulders back and forth impatiently, waiting for someone to speak. Her parents were murmuring in low voices a few fox-lengths in front of her, but the distance was too far for her to eavesdrop. Hawk hoped they would make the decision as soon as possible: she didn't want to spend unnecessary time waiting when she could be traveling to ThunderClan. She could just see it: she would be living with other cats, defending borders, becoming a "warrior" (whatever that entailed) and maybe even having a chance to become leader!

Unable to contain her excitement, she turned to Rabbit and whispered a question.

"Are you excited?"

"We're not going to be allowed to go, so I don't have an opinion," Rabbit mewed back, rolling her eyes slightly.

"We're not?" Hawk murmured back, surprised. Rabbit didn't respond, instead choosing to occupy her mouth with cleaning mud out from in-between her claws.

Hawk, slightly panicked, turned to Deer beside her.

"Do you think Splash is going to say we can go?" Hawk didn't even bother adding her father's name alongside Splash's. All of the she-cats knew that Hershey was only a secondary power; the deputy to Splash's leader, to use "Clan" terminology.

"Maybe," said Deer, glancing at her. "It's hard to tell. I would say no, but she might realize we're ready to make a decision. Hopefully she'll let us choose what we want to do."

"Would you go?" Hawk asked, her tortoiseshell tail twitching behind her. She caught herself kneading her paws into the ground, and attempted to stop. It was a fruitless effort, as her pent-up energy and nervousness needed an outlet.

"Sure, at least to try it out." whispered Deer, "What could be the harm?"

Hawk nodded, and was about to respond when her eye caught movement in front of her. Whipping her head, she saw Splash and Hershey get to their feet.

"We've decided," Splash's mew sounded neutral. "We politely decline your invitation."

It took a few moments for her mother's words to sink in. She was declining? For all of them?! Hawk felt unnecessary rage flow into her veins. How dare she?

She barely contained the urge to jump to her feet and bowl over Splash. Looking just past Splash, Hawk could see that Thornclaw, the golden-brown tom, looked angry as well. _He **must** think that Splash is being controlling and ungrateful,_ Hawk thought spitefully.

"Alright," the white tom said smoothly, taking the answer in stride. "Just in case you rethink your decision."

Splash interrupted him with a curt "We won't."

The white tom's blue eyes flashed angrily, but he continued in the same tone, "- remember that Clan life has many positives, such as support after a Clanmate is no longer able to catch prey for themselves, and-"

He was interrupted again, this time by Thornclaw.

"-and protection from rogue attacks." His words had a certain verve to them that Hawk couldn't quite identify. She didn't bother trying to, as her mind was still firmly focused on the anger she felt against Splash (and Hershey, she supposed).

"Good to know," Splash spoke neutrally, but her popping tail gave away her annoyance, "Hershey and my daughters will show you to the edge of our hunting grounds. Goodbye."

With that, Hawk's tortoiseshell mother bounded off in the direction of their camp. Hawk stared after her with narrowed eyes, knowing that Splash was most likely avoiding the eventual argument for as long as possible. Perhaps her mother thought she would cool off. _If she did_, Hawk thought, _she was stupider than a dormouse_.

Hershey signalled with his tail for his five daughters to walk behind the five toms as they marched them the short distance to their sun-rise border.

The walk was spent in stony silence, the only sound coming from startled woodland prey and sticks cracking under their paws. As soon as they reached the border, Hershey stopped and walked around to the front of the ThunderClan patrol.

"Thank you for stopping by," Hershey said, speaking in an amiable tone. "I'm sorry we couldn't fulfill your offer, but I wish you happy traveling on your way back to Thunder's Clan." Hawk winced as she heard her father missay "ThunderClan." One of the younger toms that hadn't spoken, a solid cream with a short stubby tail, let out a soft growl. Immediately, the white tom from before covered the offending toms' muzzle with his fluffy white tail.

"Of course," the white tom mewed, flicking his ears forward. "We'll be spending the night downstream, and we'll stop by on the way back just in case you change your mind."

Hershey's tone cooled off considerably in his next words, "We won't, but thank you for your concern. Farewell."

At this, the five toms started their walk along the river without another word. Hawk stared longingly after them, wishing she could dash after them and tell them that she would join their Clan. But, Splash would never let her go willingly.

Beside her, Hawk felt Duck's long fur brush against her as the white she-cat shifted position. Hawk glanced at her curiously, and found her looking longingly after the cats. Maybe Duck also was wishing she could join! Intrigued, Hawk followed her gaze and pinpointed the single cat she was looking at: the fluffy, handsome, white tom. _Or maybe she's just interested in him, _Hawk thought. Either way, it wasn't like Duck or Hawk would get what they wanted. Hawk knew this at heart, but it wouldn't stop her from arguing with Splash as soon as she got back to camp.

Hawk's mind was focused on her potential argument topics the whole way back to camp. As soon as she broke into camp behind Duck, she searched the grounds eagerly for Splash's tortoiseshell form, so much like her own.

To her surprise, Splash was calmly tucking in to one of the mice that Hawk, Deer, and Swan had caught.

Taking a deep breath, Hawk marched up to her mother.

"Yes?" Splash asked calmly without looking up from her meal. Hawk, equally as cordial, told her that she wanted to join ThunderClan. When Splash responded in the recusancy, Hawk took another breath, realizing that she was about to begin another long argument she wouldn't win.

Just as she opened her mouth, a new thought popped into her mind: _Why? _Why argue? She wasn't going to get permission regardless of what she said, and there might be another option for getting what she wanted.

Curtly, she snapped a response, "Fine." Hawk whipped around, and marched into the den she shared with Swan. Duck, Rabbit and Deer had their own, a fact Hawk was glad for. For now, she was alone, which was the perfect environment to think in.

_I can just run away_, she thought, _the ThunderClan toms are coming by in the morning, I can relearn their scents to make sure I know them for sure. Then, tomorrow night, I can leave. I'd have to conceal my scent, wet ferns might help. I can catch up to them, and I'll go back to ThunderClan. _

In her mind, it was nearly foolproof. The only problem was that Splash had an uncanny ability to sniff out emotions. Hawk would have to make sure she stayed sullen for the rest of the night and the next day to get by her. As Hawk curled up in her nest, every hair on her body was enthused. She could try and convince Swan to come, and maybe Duck if Swan didn't want to. Hawk would even be fine leaving all of her siblings behind if she could be part of a Clan.

Even on an empty stomach, Hawk didn't find it hard to fall asleep. All night, her dreams played out life in the Clans. She saw herself sneaking away twenty different ways.

When she finally came to in the morning, she wasn't sure what she had awoken to. It was still dark outside, and Hawk never was one to rise early. Perhaps she was too excited to sleep.

All of these possibilities were slain when Hawk heard a pained cry for the second time. Across the den, Hawk could see Swan's amber eyes, glowing in the darkness. Both of the she-cats cautiously peeked out of the entrance, noticing nothing wrong in the clearing. As Hawk debated what to do, the voice came again, this time with words.

"It's Splash and Hershey! They're...they're..."

* * *

**Ooooooh! *locks lips and throws away key* You'll have to wait to see what happens next :) **

**QOTD: Post your suspicions in your review! I'd love to read anything and everything, even if it's crazy. **

**bridget/clearflight**


End file.
